La La Land
by aqueenofokay
Summary: The world was once ruled by the Gods. While some are content to live now, forgotten and quiet, others want to take the world back. Some would kill for it.
1. Chapter 1

Stars twinkled and danced in the dark sky. To the God of the Night, it was like the city's lights didn't exist. No material light could drown the star's natural glow. They had always been there. Through every war. Through every victory, small or big. Through every life. Though the Gods had faded, the stars never did. To the God, they shone brighter than any light. They were his only light.

The God of the Night laid on the beach, the sand under him still warm from the past day's heat. He had never known the light of day, never felt the warmth of the sun but he knew the moon and the stars and the darkness. They knew him more than anyone else.

One would think that he would get lonely but the God never did. He didn't mind the silence and the distance. He liked to think that he was in a long distance relationship with the stars. They blew kisses to him with with every twinkle.

"It's a pretty night." The Moon Goddess said from where she sat beside the night god, her black hair flowing over her shoulders. She would sit with him often, watching the waves and the stars. Like the Night God, she too had never seen the day.

"Thank you." The god murmured, glancing up at the Aztec Goddess. In this day and age, she liked to go by the name 'Berenice'. "I wanted it to be pretty. There are too many nights that aren't pretty."

"You should want beauty more often than." Berenice said softly. "Don't make yourself sad, Evan." It was the name that the God of the Night had chosen long ago. It had been in Paris on a sad night where a soldier was left heartbroken by the Seine. The God had thought the way his lover had said the name was so beautiful that he knew he had to have it for his own. So he caught the name while it floated on the cold fall wind and pressed it to his heart.

"There is beauty in pain. I'm sure the Moon has seen its fair share. The night is rarely meant to be happy." Evan said. They debated this often. Under his dark hair, his red and white jacket served as a pillow for sleep that would never come.

"But the nights that are happy are always better than the happy days. For happy days are a guarantee. When given a happy night...it is something that must be cherished for there is light to be found in the dark after all." The Moon explained, a smile playing on her lips.

"The stars are light enough. And so are you." Evan sighed, watching the stars above him.

"Maybe you should go make some friends and have a happy night. Then you will see that I'm right." Berenice glanced at the sad God, her smile wavering.

"I have friends." Was all he said.

"Then go find them. Enjoy the pretty night that you have created." She smiled and disappeared. In the night sky above, the moon glowed brightly. Enough debating with the Moon for one night. He never seemed to be able to win with her, not that he minded. For she is the bright beautiful moon and he is the dark night around her. She was right. He should enjoy the pretty night.

With a sigh, he stood up, brushing the sand that was nearly as old as him from his pants and shook it from his leather jacket. He pulled it on and headed towards the parking lot. In the distance, the glittering lights from the pier reflected off the ocean waves. He reached the pavement, kicking the sand out of his red shoes. He pulled the handle on the black car door and got in.

He had had the car for only a few years. He had wings, he didn't have to drive. Unfortunately, the only owls in the city were captive ones and none of them were like the great horned owl that he could be. He longed for the days when he could spread his wings out, feel the starlight on his feathers and the cold, powerful wind that would take him higher into the sky.

Those days were far behind him, so he pulled the large feather that had appeared on his wrist as he had been thinking about flying and tossed it out the window. The engine roared and he sped out of the parking lot. The feather floated on a gentle wind over the beach.

It was only midnight in a city that never stopped shining. Evan loved Los Angeles. It was cruel but sweet, beautiful but ugly. It stayed awake with him.

He wasn't quite sure where he was going. He didn't have that many friends which was surprising for a God like him. He was ruler of the night and all its creatures. Everyone should know him.

He went to the one place that always brought him a little sunshine. He had never felt the sun before but he imagined that it felt like this place. He parked in front of a house so surrounded by palm trees that from the street, the house was almost invisible. He pushed open the gate that was always kept open for him and walked around the house through a tunnel of palm trees. The greenhouse took up most of the backyard, a warm glow spilling from inside onto the grass.

"Hello Evan!" The girl inside smiled, her hands holding a pot that contained a very yellow sunflower. "I was wondering when you would come by."

"The night is still young, Sydney." He said as he stepped inside, fascinated by the brightness of the flower. The flower goddess liked the name 'Sydney' and ignored the night god's protests that her real name was far prettier. The Roman goddess Flora smiled at him as he gently touched the sunflower's petals, feeling the softness and the rough seeds at it's dark center.

"I was starting to think that you started to listening to the other Greek Gods about me…" Sydney said softly, setting the flower down. Evan stayed close to it, stroking each petal as gently as a lover's cheek.

"I wouldn't do that to you, Flora." The God of the Night looked up at her with his dark eyes, the warmth of the greenhouse starting to get to him. She shot him a glare at the mention of her real name.

"None of you Greek Gods like us Romans." Sydney turned away from him.. He watched her as she picked up a watering can and turned her attention to a pink hibiscus. He didn't want to talk about this. He had wanted to listen to her talk about flowers and sunshine.

"We do have reason too. It's not unjustified, Sydney."

"I thought you said that you weren't listening to them!" She cried suddenly, turning around to glare at him accusingly.

"I'm not." Evan didn't want to listen to the other Gods. They were arrogant and only liked to listen to themselves. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't the same.

"Everyone gets replaced eventually...Even us Roman Gods have been replaced, Nyx." Sydney spat, using Evan's real name. "I guess that it all worked out in the end." Evan bit his tongue. He didn't like being replaced but he couldn't deny the truth. All of the old Gods had been replaced with the new and one day, they too would be replaced. "But you Greek Gods have no right to be holding on to that anger. It wasn't our fault. I swear...Someone is going to end up dead one of these days if you can't control your stupidity." She snapped, breaking a dead twig off the hibiscus tree. Evan didn't want to be there anymore. He pulled at his collar, sweat dripping down the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry I came by." He turned towards the glass door, condensation dripping down the walls. Sydney sighed, reaching for his hand.

"I didn't mean that. You know it's almost impossible to kill us Gods." She tried to smile but Evan wasn't going to change his mind. He said goodnight to the flower goddess and left the greenhouse, thankful to feel the colder night air on his face as he walked back around the house to his car. He sat in silence for a little while, thinking about where he could go next. Every night was spent thinking about where to go and what he could do. To him, it seemed like the night was limited while the day was limitless.

He finally decided that he would find Ares. The war God had been a close friend despite the fact that he liked to ask the night God for favours. He started the engine and sped down the quiet Santa Monica street towards the city. There was always one thing that Ares could do for him in return and it always gave him the feeling of daytime when flowers couldn't.

The bright night lights of the city glinted off the windows. Near the towering skyscrapers, the car came to a stop, parking at the side of the street. As the God got out of his car, he pulled another feather from his wrist, the thoughts of flying still floating through his mind.

"Haven't seen you in awhile." A voice cackled from the shadows. A normal person would have been disturbed but Evan had never been normal. He turned, looking into the dark alley way filled with shadows. A man stood in the dark, a blue hood pulled over his head and a mask over his face. Despite the mask, Evan knew Nemesis was smiling. Blood dripped from the brass knuckles on the God of Revenge's hands.

"I think for good reason, Jonathan. I'm still scarred from the last time." Evan didn't know why the God had taken that name. It seemed so odd, so common for someone so wild and dangerous. Jonathan moved towards him, shrugging his shoulders as he pulled the brass knuckles off his hands. "Having a nice night?"

"Yes actually. Thank you. The stars look extra beautiful tonight." Jonathan said, wiping the blood on his hands off on his hoodie. "A nice night to follow a nice day!"

"I'm sure it was."

"You should let me show you the sun some day, Nyx!" Jonathan laughed as Evan started to turn away, walking down the street. "You can't be a night owl your whole existence!"

"Yes...I can be." Evan sighed. "I wanted to see the day since I came into existence, Jonathan. I would give anything for it but the natural laws of this universe won't allow it. My night never ends. It will be the only thing I will ever know till the end of time. The only thing you will ever know is blood and anger."

"You have clearly never tasted a good breakfast before." Jonathan joked, playfully punching Evan's arm. He was grateful the brass knuckles were off. "I could make it for you one day! You could pretend to have a whole day ahead of you!"

"I've never known that feeling so how could I pretend? You shouldn't be putting Gods where they don't belong." Evan finally reached the door that lead to an underground club. The neon sign above them flickered and buzzed. The noise annoyed him.

"Oh come on, Evan! Stop being so serious for once in your fucking life! Promise me that you will let me make you breakfast one night. You'll love it." Jonathan insisted. Evan looked him over, seeing the blood and the brass knuckles in his pockets.

"You won't try to fight me again...right?" Evan remembered the last time. He had been curious. Everyone is. How does one defeat the night? Jonathan's curiosity had gotten the best of him and he suffered greatly. Jonathan nodded, his bright eyes on the dark God. "I promise. Have a good night, Jonathan." Evan smiled and pushed open the door, disappearing inside the club.

Bright lights and music surrounded the God as he moved down the stairs and through the club. He made sure to be gentle as he moved past the humans. He has always admired mortals and their ignorance to the violence that went on in the universe around them.

"Want a drink, Nyx?" A soft hand on Evan's shoulder startled him. He looked up to see Dionysus.

"Sure, Brock. Something sweet." Evan nodded. The bright, happy God never failed to make those who were sad happy again. He would search for them, claiming that it was his mission now that he wasn't worshipped anymore. It seemed like he was always finding Evan. He followed Brock to the bar where he got him a drink, it's neon blue colour seeming odd to Evan but the taste was delicious. It was just what he wanted. "Have you been having a good night?" Evan shrugged, sipping on his drink.

"Just the usual." Evan stirred his drink, watching it swirl.

"What did you debate about with the lovely moon tonight?" Brock asked, pulling himself up onto a bar stool. He had chosen the name only a few years ago. Everyone had been nagging him to do it and he finally had enough of it one day. Evan had helped him pick it and they spent the night celebrating.

"If a night can be happy. The usual debate. You ask every time." Evan laughed.

"Well I'd love the chance to have a conversation with the Moon! I heard she's beautiful."

"Well don't get your hopes up. Some Celtic God who has just shown up recently has been wooing her. He's the God of the Sun over there in Ireland." Evan smiled. "Seems like a perfect match. Anyways...I'm here to see Ares. Is he around?"

"He'd hit you if he heard you using that name!" Brock sounded scandalised.

"Upstairs?" Evan asked simply. Brock nodded, ordering a shot. "Don't hurt yourself." Evan patted his arm and made his way through the crowd, careful not to spill his drink. He reached a flight of narrow stairs at the other end of the dark club and hurried up them, thankful to be out of the crowd. "Tyler?" He called as he reached the top.

In the lounge room, laying on a black couch with a glass of wine balanced dangerously on his chest, the God of War dozed despite the noise that came from downstairs. Evan set his own cup down on the small table by the couch before taking Tyler's before he could spill it.

"Hello ." Tyler smiled, not opening his eyes. "You smell like flowers. Have you been around that Roman girl again?"

"Her flowers bring me as much day as you do. Don't be jealous." Evan sat awkwardly on the couch, glancing around the dimly lit room. When Tyler wasn't here, he was on the streets or in the big office skyscrapers, listening and pushing towards conflict. It amused him. "Speaking of which...I need some."

"Has it been a rough night?" Tyler finally opened his eyes and sat up, looking at his long time friend. He had always cared about Evan for as long as he could remember. There were times when he had battles during the day so not to upset Evan's nights. When Evan nodded, Tyler smiled and got to his feet. "Come on then. We're losing the dark!"

He pulled open the window and climbed out onto the fire escape. They made their way up to the roof, where a nymph with bright blue hair sat, watching the stars. "Something bright tonight." Tyler handed the girl a handful of cash who smiled and nodded, getting up and running to the other side of the roof where an old trunk stood open. Wherever Evan and Tyler went, the trunk went too.

"Thank you, Ares." Evan sat on the edge of the roof, his eyes on the stars that blew kisses to him.

"What have I told you about that name?" Tyler snapped as he sat down beside him.

"Sorry...It just feels like old times when I use it."

"Well the old times ain't coming back, Nyx. Listen...Something has shifted. Something bad is coming. I don't know what but it feels like power has shifted. Maybe it has something to do with these other Gods showing up but whatever it is...You need to be careful." Tyler explained. For the first time, Evan saw worry in the war God's eyes. "I'm normally for a good battle here and there but not now. This feels different."

"I'll be careful. You have to remember though...I'm one of the oldies. I'm hard to defeat." Evan said, trying to make him feel better. "I think you have more mortality than I do."

"Just promise me that you will be careful, okay?" Tyler demanded.

"I promise." This was his second promise of the night. The night is full of promises. The only question is if they will be fulfilled.

A sudden firework exploded in the sky above them in bright yellow sparks. Evan's eyes widened and he smiled brightly. More fireworks filled the sky, their bright light reflecting off the buildings around them. Green, red and yellow sparks rained down over them. Evan imagined that the day was like this. Loud and bright.

Over the horizon, the sun began to rise and Evan faded away, leaving only a black feather behind.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rose over the city, bright and warm as always. Tyler stayed and watched the sun rise from where he sat on the roof even though the Night God had disappeared. He spun the feather in his hands, watching the warm sunlight glint off it's dark silky sides.

He supposed that Evan's sadness was natural. Who wouldn't be a bit sad if their existence was limited to the night? The city came alive around him as the sun rose higher into the sky. People strolled down the streets and cars and buses took commuters to their jobs. Tyler had always loved summer despite the heat that normally drove most people inside. More wars were better fought in the summer, not frozen by the cold. More than that, Tyler liked how peaceful it could be but he wouldn't admit that he did.

It was near mid morning when the God of War finally rose from the side of the roof and headed back down the fire escape, climbing through the window into the lounge.

"Did Nyx find you?" Brock yawned from where he laid on the couch. He pressed his face into the soft pillow, his right hand hanging off the side where an empty wine bottle had tipped over onto the carpeted floor. Tyler hoped that it hadn't stained.

"I did." Tyler collapsed into one of the soft arm chairs, feeling exhaustion coming over him. He didn't have to sleep but he had gotten used to pretending that he had to.

"You warned him...right?" Brock could feel it too. He could feel all kinds of energy emitting from every living thing. He knew when things were right and when they were wrong. "I know that Evan should have felt it too but he's so wrapped up in his own melancholy that he must have ignored it unless you told him."

"I did." Tyler repeated, his eyes drifting shut.

"Weren't you supposed to meet Athena this morning?" Tyler's eyes shot open, a curse escaping his lips. He pushed himself up, pulling his suit jacket off the back of the couch.

"You have to remind me about these things, Brock!" He snapped, pulling his jacket on. "Do I smell drunk?"

"I'm not smelling you." Brock snapped, waving Tyler away. He rolled his eyes and headed downstairs into the now quiet and empty club. He pushed open the door and stepped out onto the bright, sunny street.

There was a strange energy that ran through the streets and wrapped around every building. It put Tyler on edge. He hadn't felt like this since the Roman Gods came into power and the Greeks had wanted to declare war. He reassured himself that Athena would know what to do. She always did.

He made his way downtown, getting a chill in the dark shadows created by the towering buildings. He turned onto a quieter street, hurrying towards the cafe that he always met the Goddess at. She 'worked' in the busy buildings that were home to massive corporations and she listened. She heard about everything. Nothing happened in L.A. without Athena hearing about it.

He cursed Brock again for not getting him from the roof. He could blame Evan for making him stay up so late but he owed his friend. The war sometimes needed the dark and if Evan got just a taste of the day, then he was happy to help. It was Evan's weakness and Tyler had a feeling that it would get him in trouble one day.

The cafe smelled of strong coffee and freshly baked pastries. With it's rustic decor, it reminded Tyler of the cafes where revolution was born. Sitting by the window, her blonde hair pulled back in a stiff bun, her red nails tapping against a black mug, Athena glared at Tyler as he entered the cafe.

"You're late." She commented, taking a sip from her coffee.

"Not my fault."

"Was it Nyx again? I thought I heard fireworks. Such a romantic he is. Bit of a shame though. All that primordial power, going to waste." Athena sighed, disappointment heavy in her tone.

"I didn't think that we were meeting to gossip about Evan this time." Tyler tapped his finger impatiently on the wood table, watching the cars pass by on the busy street outside.

"No...But you need to watch him. He could be very easily played. There is talk among the Gods of taking the world back." She leaned forward, glancing around the cafe to make sure that no one was listening. There wouldn't be for they were the only deities there but they were still cautious. Some Gods had human pets.

"The Gods have been talking about that since humans were created, Athena." Tyler scoffed.

"Here's your muffin, Kelly!" A smiling waitress set the plate down in front of the Goddess. She left the two Gods who watched her as she walked away.

"Kelly is such a cute name. I can never get over that." Tyler laughed. She had chosen the name in the fifties. Tyler didn't know why, only that one day she started demanding that around humans, he was to use that name.

"You've felt it, haven't you Tyler? There is a feeling for war in the air, isn't there?" She pulled a piece off her muffin and bit into it, her intense gaze on Ares.

"There always is...but it has been amplified. I thought maybe the rising amount of human aggression was having an affect on the Gods...Or does it have to do with the new Gods in town?"

"They are Celtic. They have apparently inspired a bit of a rebellion. We've gotten used to normal life in hiding from the humans. We pretend to be human. They don't want to pretend anymore. They are reaching out to other Gods in an attempt to get them on their side. They have threatened to kill if they don't." Kelly explained, pulling another piece off her muffin. Tyler laughed.

"It's impossible to kill a God!" He was met with her dark gaze. "Isn't it…?"

"It is possible. Incredibly hard but possible. They claim to have the weapons to do it. They got in touch with Ehecatl...I don't know if he is on our side but you should go talk to him. Ask him what he knows about these Celtic Gods and their plan."

"The Aztec God of Wind? Where would I even find him?" Tyler cried. He had never talked to the God before and had heard little about him. Some had said that he reminded them of a young boy. It seemed like the only thing that people would say about him.

"I think you'll find him on the pier. We need all the information we can get before we decide on going to war." Kelly said softly, glancing out the window. "You must protect Evan, Tyler. If they get their disgusting hands on a Primordial god, we are done for. They will destroy this world."

"Evan can take care of himself." Tyler pushed his chair back, getting up to leave. The cafe suddenly went silent, a ripple of powerful energy surging through the room. Athena's hand curled suddenly around his wrist, her nails leaving scratches.

"Protect him, Ares." She snarled. Silence hung heavy over the cafe. Tyler finally nodded and life came back into the restaurant. She let go of his hand and sat back in his chair, dismissing him. Tyler left the cafe in a hurry. Athena was not someone to be messed with. He would make sure to keep his promise.

He headed back to the club, finding Evan's black car parked out front. He had to bring it back to the beach for him anyways. Using the spare key he kept in his jacket, he got in and started the car. He smiled at Evan's choice of music, M83's _Midnight City_ playing through the speakers as he sped down the street, heading towards the highway.

He kept thinking about Athena's warning. He often wondered if she could see into the future and if in this case, he had to stop something horrible from happening. Her warnings had proved right in the past and when listened to, catastrophe was avoided. He couldn't jump to assumptions so he pushed the thoughts from his mind, watching the traffic around him as he got onto the highway.

He wondered what the Aztec God would be like. He had only met the Moon Goddess, Coyolxauhqui, that liked to go by the name 'Berenice. She was the kindest person that Tyler had ever met. Maybe this boy-like Ehecatl would be like her.

It didn't take long to get to the pier. The bright sunlight sparkled on the waves that crashed onto the sandy beach. He had taken a picture once of the beach like this for Evan who had smiled the rest of the night after he saw it but Tyler had a feeling it just made Evan sadder.

Once he parked the car, he headed up to the pier, having to pull his suit jacket off and loosen his tie due to heat. He strolled around the pier, not sure who he was looking for. He was sure that he would feel the strong energy of the God when he got near. All he could do till then was wait.

Leaning against the railing, he watched the mortal humans go by, amazed by how oblivious they were to the strong energy of unrest that filled the city. He didn't like the idea of Gods getting aggressive with each other but he loved aggressive humans. The more aggressive humans got, the more aggressive Tyler got. He would be itching to hit, itching to fire a gun and to taste blood on his lips. War came as natural to these mortals who couldn't decide what was right or wrong and Tyler feed off it like a starved man at a royal feast.

A sudden gust of wind caught the flags and banners, pulling at them as if to set them free from their hooks and let them fly over the sea. Hats flew off unsuspecting tourist's heads and they scrambled to get them. Tyler could feel the sudden burst of energy, the wind pulling at his tie as he turned.

"Popcorn?" A young man stood in front of him, dressed in a red jacket and shorts. He held a bag of popcorn in one hand, the other stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. The sides of his head had been shaved, leaving long black hair on top that had been pulled back into a sleek bun. He smiled at Tyler and held the bag out towards him. Maybe it was his short height or maybe it was the pitch of his voice but Tyler could see why people thought that he was a boy.

"No thanks."

"Have some fun, old man."

"I'm not here for fun, Ehecatl." Tyler crossed his arms, watching the younger God intently. He had been created long after Tyler had been replaced and he couldn't help but feel a little bit bitter about it.

"Please...Call me Lui." The Wind God insisted. There was a large black owl feather tucked into his collar like a souvenir.

"You can call me Tyler...I'm sure you know who I actually am." Tyler said calmly, trying to make sure that this young God knew who had more power. Lui glanced at him with a smirk and nodded. "I heard that these Celtic Gods are trying to raise the Underworld spoke to you...What did they want?"

"They aren't trying to raise the Underworld...They just want to take this world back. They believe that this world rightfully belongs to us Gods. Not these humans. It doesn't matter what civilization we come from...It belongs to us." Lui explained. "They want to unit the Gods. I don't see anything wrong with that. I mean...You Greek Gods still hate the Romans. Why not fix it?"

"They are threatening to kill those who don't agree with them. How is that fixing it?" Tyler demanded, narrowing his eyes. Lui simply shrugged.

"They are useless Gods if they don't see how this is the right thing to do."

"So you agree with them?" Tyler stepped away from the railing, his hands curling into fists. He hadn't been prepared for this. He had thought that Ehecatl had remained neutral but it was clear now that he wasn't.

"Wouldn't you?" The question caught Tyler off guard. He had had his fair share of owning a world and feeling the almighty power that came with it. He couldn't answer the young God. "Every God does...deep down you want it. I know you weren't one of the firsts but I know you know one. I bet they want it even more. They've seen the world from the start. They had the world in their hands once and now they can have it back. They want it back. I want that. All of us want it. Come on, Ares."

"You're young and foolish. You don't know what you are talking about." Tyler started to walk away from him. A sudden strong wind stopped Tyler. It knocked over signs and blew away the small little things that people hadn't thought to hold on to.

"Yes I do. I might not be as old as you but I've seen it all. I've seen what humans do to each other and I've seen what the Gods do to each other! We could stop all the pain. No more conflicts." Lui cried, dropping the popcorn bag. It spilled across the wooden pier and crunched under the God's red converse.

"You're talking to the wrong person. I'm all about war, baby." Tyler laughed as he spun back around. "Us oldies ain't going to give up the lives we've established for uniting with you. That has never happened and it never will. Give up your stupid dream before it crushes you." Tyler had had enough of this. He started to walk away again, intent on ignoring Lui.

"We can give you what you always wanted!" The words floated through the air like a black feather. They didn't work on Tyler but he knew who they would work on. "If you don't listen, we can find someone else who will!"

Ignoring the side of him that wanted to keep walking, he turned back around, storming back to Lui. The humans near by either shrunk away or suddenly got aggressive, yelling at whoever was closest. Anger washed over the pier like a tsunami, unforgiving and merciless.

"You stay away from me and you stay away from Nyx." Tyler plucked the black feather from Lui's collar and smiled. The young God tried to get away from the War God but found himself unable to move. "Or you will find yourself in a war that you cannot win." With that, Tyler walked away as a fight broke out on the pier. He watched it for a moment, two police officers pushing past him to break it up. He made his way back to the car as calmly as he could, pulling open the door and slumping inside as he slammed the door behind him. "Fuck!" He hit the wheel, anger spilling from him like tears. "Fuck! Fuck!" He shouldn't have told that God Evan's name. He shouldn't have given him the idea to go near him. They obviously wanted the conflict. A threat would only encourage them more. They weren't afraid to kill. He should have kept walking. He knew he had to stop that God before he got to Evan and he was losing daylight.

He started the car and sped out of the parking lot, the tyres screeching on the pavement. He severed through traffic, trying to keep calm. He should have kept walking. Why didn't he keep walking? Why did he turn around and say that? He knew Athena would be furious with him once she found out what he had done. And to use his power in a public place too? He hit the wheel again and stepped on the gas, ignoring the angry sound of horns from the cars he passed.

The club was quiet when he parked in front of it. The sun had reached it's highest point and was starting to begin its descent towards the horizon. Tyler ran inside, and up the stairs where Brock was fast asleep on the couch where he had left him. "Get up! Get the fuck up!" Tyler yelled. Brock's eyes snapped open as he sat up, fighting back a yawn.

"What? What's going on?" He let out a yawn, watching Tyler pace the room. He stopped by the window, looking out onto the quiet street with worry.

"I need to find Nemesis. Where is he?"

"Jonathan? What's going on, Tyler?" Brock cried as he got to his feet.

"I fucked up and these fucking Celtic Gods and their friends are to go after Evan tonight. I need to stop them before the sun sets and it's too fucking late!" Tyler couldn't breathe. He couldn't think about anything but wanting to crush the Wind God's skull in like the popcorn that had been crushed underfoot when it spilled. He could only think about blood and the need to hit something.

"Slow down! Breathe, Tyler." Brock grabbed Tyler's hand tightly, a gentle calming energy flowing through the room. "Tell me what happened...slowly."

"Athena...she sent me to go talk to this Aztec God, Ehecatl...There are Gods that want to take back the world...Make it for the Gods again. And it turns out that he is on their side. He didn't know Evan's name and I told it to him...And now he is going to go find him and he and those Gods could trick Evan into joining them...they could brainwash him. I have to get rid of Ehecatl before he gets to Evan...before the other Gods get to him." Tyler explained taking a deep breath between the words.

"You don't even know who those other Gods are? How do you plan on stopping them?" Brock let go of Tyler's hand, walking towards the small bar and poured a strong drink that he offered to Tyler who took it gratefully.

"I won't have to. Killing Ehecatl should be enough to scare them off this stupid idea."

"What if it isn't?" Brock said quietly. Tyler ignored him.

"Have you seen Nemesis around?"

"Last I heard…He has an apartment a few blocks from here. He should help you...He's obsessed with Evan apparently." Brock was always full of gossip about the other Gods. He wrote down the address on a napkin and handed it to Tyler. "You had better hope your plan works." Tyler didn't respond as he finished his drink, setting the empty glass down harshly on the table where it rocked back and forth, threatening to fall and shatter before settling on the table. "Don't go anywhere. We can't lose you to them." He warned as he left the lounge, heading downstairs into the club. Outside, the late afternoon sun hung heavy in the sky, the Californian heat becoming unbearable.

As he walked, glancing up at the low sun, Tyler cursed the day. The night seemed to last forever but the day was never long enough. Tyler's thoughts went back to Evan and the threat that faced him. He didn't know if these Gods would try to get Evan on their side and brainwash him like they had with Lui or if they would kill him in an attempt to prove that they are a force in this world. Either way, he didn't want to know what they had planned; he just wanted them gone.

He found the apartment building, a faint neon people glow coming from it's sign. He pressed the buzzer, fanning himself with the small napkin as he waited.

"What?" Jonathan sounded annoyed. Tyler supposed that he wasn't one for guests.

"We need to talk."

"Why?"

"It's about Evan." There was silence before the door unlocked and Jonathan told Tyler to come up. He smiled, pulling open the door and stepped into the building, thankful to be out of the heat. He found Jonathan's apartment on the third floor, knocking politely on the door that swung open almost immediately.

"What's wrong with Evan?" Nemesis demanded, not moving from the door to let Tyler in.

"I made a mistake and I need your help to fix it before Nyx and Athena find out. Can you let me in? I'm not talking out here." Tyler pushed past Jonathan, stepping into the dark apartment. A fan was running, the windows covered with dark blinds to block out the heat and the light. There were old take out boxes on the kitchen counter and weapons on the table. Jonathan looked tired, his hair as messy as the bedsheets on the small bed in corner of the apartment.

"You want me to help you because you fucked up? I don't do that kind of work, Ares." Jonathan sighed.

"I'm sure you must have felt the energy in the city. It's heavy and it doesn't bode well. There are these Gods...Celtic ones from across the Pacific. They are in the city and they are going to all the Gods around here wanting to get them on their side. They want to take back the world for the Gods. They'll kill for it. They've threatened to do it. I met one of them...His name is Ehecatl. Aztec. He goes by the name of Lui. He's going to go after Evan once night falls. I don't know if he's going to have him killed or if they are going to force him to join them. I know they will use his weakness against him. We'll lose him if he joins them!" Tyler cried, desperate to convince Jonathan who listened with a curious expression on his face.

"Is there really something wrong with the world belonging to the Gods again?" Jonathan wondered. Tyler tensed, fearing that they had gotten to Jonathan too. "Not that I agree. I quite like the life I have now. I wouldn't want to change that." Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. "So you want me to deal with this Ehecatl before he gets to Evan tonight? Shouldn't be a problem. Where can I find him?"

"Last I saw him was at the Pier. I don't know where he could have gone from there."

"I don't have much time, Ares. I need to know or this will take much longer." Jonathan snapped, the use of Tyler's real name putting him on edge.

"Just try the pier! You need to kill him, Jonathan! For Evan." Jonathan stared at Tyler who realised that he probably shouldn't have said the last part. He felt like Jonathan knew about the promise Tyler made to Athena and how he had failed within the day to keep it. He looked away, not wanting him to see the guilt on his face.

"Why don't you deal him yourself? I mean...this was your mistake." Jonathan said as he walked towards the table, choosing which weapon he would need.

"I don't fight anymore. You know that." Tyler remembered the last war and shook his head. He was done with it.

"If it feels like a war is coming...then you'll have to. There won't be a choice, Ares." Jonathan filled his backpack with what he would need, turning back to look at Tyler who stayed close to the door. "I won't do this again. Next mistake you make is yours to clean up." Jonathan pushed past him into the hallway. When Tyler didn't move, he narrowed his eyes. "You aren't fuckin staying here." Tyler stepped awkwardly into the hallway as Jonathan locked the door and they headed towards the stairs.

"Thank you." Tyler said quietly.

"I'm not doing this for you. You don't deserve this kind of help. I'm doing this for Evan." Jonathan pushed open the door to the stairs, not holding it for Tyler who stumbled back when the heavy door swung towards him. "He only sees what goes on at night and not much happens then. It isn't fair. He'll never know about the dangers of the day and how they are trying to hurt him until it's too late. It isn't fair that you did this to him." Jonathan reached the bottom of the stairs, turning suddenly to look at Tyler.

"I didn't know this would happen! Don't blame me, Nemesis." Tyler watched as Jonathan pulled his mask over his face and headed towards the front doors. Tyler had no choice but follow him outside in the late, hot afternoon. A sudden police car sped down the street, sirens wailing. A strong energy drifted down the street. It was angry and full of pain. Jonathan had started walking in the opposite direction but stopped when he saw that Tyler wasn't moving.

"What is it?"

"Do you feel that?" Tyler whispered. He knew that Jonathan couldn't. Most Gods couldn't feel the energy that he could feel. He could feel when conflict, when war, was coming. This feeling terrified him.

"No...What is it?"

"Something terrible has happened." Tyler followed the police car, forcing Jonathan to run to keep up with him. They followed the car for a few blocks, watching it turn onto a quiet street and come to a stop where people had gathered behind yellow police tape.

"Who is he?"

"This looks ritualistic!"

The worried voices echoed in Tyler's ears as he pushed his way through the small crowd to the tape. Jonathan had pushed his mask up, hiding it in his hoodie as he followed Tyler. The street seemed eerily silent. The War God's eyes lowered to the bloody body on the street and took in the symbols drawn in blood on the brick walls.

"Fuck…" Jonathan breathed, his hand curling around the police tape as if he meant to tear it apart. It was Hypnos, the God of Sleep whose throat had been slit brutally. Tyler had liked the sleepy God who went by the name 'Cody'. A disturbing chill lingered on the street despite the hot afternoon. "They kept their word. They said they would kill." Jonathan looked around the small crowd nervously. The God that did this could still be around.

"Come on...Let's get outta here." Tyler felt tense. The world was on the brink of war. He knew the feeling well. Not only would this anger the Gods who didn't believe in taking back the world, but it would also anger the Greeks would see this as an opportunity to attack the Romans. One of their own is dead and the idea of talking this out would not be on anyone's mind.

The sun continued it's path towards the horizon as the sky began to darken, bringing with the promise of a troubled night.


	3. Chapter 3

The waves rolled into the sand and rolled back out gently. The night felt still and silent as if waiting for an exciting show to start. Evan opened his eyes slowly, seeing the night sky above him filled with bright stars. It was such a pretty sight that he had once believed that he would never get bored of it when he and the world were young. Now he was older and so was the world. The night wasn't the same anymore.

With a sigh, he pushed himself up to sitting, feeling the warm sand under his hands. He wondered if the days were always warm as the sand was or if they were as cool as the nights are. He brushed the sand off his red jacket and got to his feet, watching the white topped waves. He could feel a tension in the air, a feeling anger in the air. He wondered if it had something to do with Tyler who always seemed to be making conflicts. A sudden wind blew sand around the Night God and pulled at the flags on the pier with as if wanting to free them from their poles.

"Nyx, right?" A high pitched voice asked from behind him.

"Who are you?" Evan turned to face the young God.

"Call me Lui." The Wind God smiled.

"I haven't seen you here before."

"Other places were more exciting. Now...Los Angeles is exciting." Lui took a step closer, kicking up the sand. The wind caught it and blew it across the beach. "You've been around here a long time...Have you ever thought about owning this city? Or maybe even...this world?"

"No. It should never belong to a God." Evan crossed his arms, remembering what Tyler had said about being careful. Something had come to this city. Evan wondered if this was it.

"I disagree. You are a Primordial God...Among the first to exist. You owned the world at one time. You could have it again."

"You haven't studied your history well enough. The world might once have belonged to the Gods but not anymore and we have no right to it. Our purpose is to make this world work and to create beauty in the simplest of things. Not to rule it. If this leads to a war...if Gods die...yes things will still continue like normal but there will be no more beauty. I don't want to own this world. I just want to make it beautiful." Evan turned away from Lui and started towards the parking lot. This would make a great joke to tell Tyler.

"I can give you what you've always wanted." The words drifted on the wind, wrapping around Evan as gently as a blanket would on a cold night. "It's the day you want... isn't it? If you help us...We'll give it to you. If you walk away… I'll take it all and you won't even have the night anymore." Evan stood frozen in the sand. No one had ever said anything like this to him before. Above him, the stars twinkled and blew him kisses while the moon watched over him. He wanted to see the day more than anything in the universe. He longed to feel the warm sunlight on his face and to see the bright blue sky. It was his only wish but the rules of the universe would never allow it. He belonged to the night.

"There is order in this world." Evan faced the young God as he turned. Nearby streetlamps suddenly sparked and burst, plunging the beach into complete darkness. "You are threatening it."

"You'll regret this, Nyx." The wind picked up, pulling at Evan's jacket.

"I regret a lot of things. This one isn't one of them." Dark shadows slithered over the sand, suddenly wrapping around Lui's legs and pulled him to the ground. Evan turned and started running down the beach, hoping he would time to get away from Lui. He wasn't a fighter. He never had been.

A strong wind threw Evan down onto the shallow water. Waves splashed around him, the cold water sending chills through him. He scrambled to his feet as Lui advanced towards him. Clenching his fists tightly, more lights went out on the pier. From the dark, Shadows with sharp teeth and claws flew at Lui. He screamed suddenly as one of the Shadows caught his arm, blood splattering onto the sand. Lui grit his teeth, continuing towards the Night God as he sent forth more Shadows despite the fear he felt at the sight of the Shadows. They were monstrous, with dark red eyes and glinting teeth and claws. They were nightmarish ghouls, blood thirsty and impossible to kill. Another other time, Lui never would have dared to fight a Primordial but this time, luck was on his side.

Evan watched Lui dodge the Shadows, wind pushing them away. The neon lights on the pier blew out, sparks raining down on the pier and the waves below. The wind was strong, more fierce than any wind he had ever felt before. Something gold suddenly caught Evan's eye. Before he could do anything, Lui was suddenly in front of him with a golden dagger in his hand. Evan's eyes widened, unable to move. He had seen this dagger before, long ago and had prayed that he'd never see it again. It killed a God.

Lui swung the blade, the tip cutting the leather on Evan's sleeve. He grabbed onto Lui's wrist, dark burning shadows twisting around the young God from under Evan's hand. Using his free hand, he swung at Evan, leaving a bloody bruise on his cheek. Evan stumbled back, forced to let go of Lui. Just being in the presence of the dagger made him weak.

"You've gotten weak, Nyx." Lui laughed as he stepped towards Evan. "Just make it easy for you and give up. We can take away the pain. You can be happy." Evan shook his head, pushing himself up to his feet. A Shadow grabbed onto Lui, dragging him away from the Night God. Lui spun, slicing the shadow in half as he spun back to Evan. He brought the dagger down on Evan's shoulder before he could even react. The Night God cried out in pain, hot blood soaking through his clothing and dripped into the shallow waves. He looked up from the blood to Lui, struggling to stay on his feet. The dagger made him powerless. He had never felt pain like this before. It burned him from the inside out. He tried to hit Lui who blocked him and kicked the Night God down to the water.

Evan gasped, spitting blood and water out of his mouth. He looked up at Lui, the world seeming darker than anything he'd ever seen. Lui raised the dagger above his head to deliver the final blow only to be thrown to the ground as a wave crashed over them suddenly, as if the world had tilted. Or maybe it was the Moon that moved. The strong ocean current pulled Evan away from the beach and the violent God. He didn't know which way was up, thrown through the water like a ragdoll. He flailed his arms out, trying to stop the current from taking him out to sea.

His hand pushed through the water and he gasped as he broke the surface, night air filling his water filled lungs. Lui was nowhere to be seen. Gentle waves rolled Evan onto his back, blood filling the dark water. The waves brought him towards the shore, the tides falling back into place. Gentle hands took hold of his arms, pulling him onto the sand.

"Evan...Evan? Can you hear me?" The world blurred and spun around him. "Evan! Come on…" Darkness wrapped around him, soft and warm. He felt like he was floating through space, bright twinkling stars dancing around him. The world looked strange, half a dream, half real.

"What happened to him?" The new, sudden voice echoed around him. The stars turned into bright flowers, heat replacing the gentle nighttime warmth that had surrounded him. He felt a wooden table under him, his wet and bloody clothes clinging to his body. Evan turned his head, seeing a bright sunflower looking back at him.

"He was attacked...He tried to get away but this God wouldn't let him. He had a dagger...He ripped Evan apart! I saw it all!" Berenice's soft voice sounded pained. He didn't like it when her voice sounded like that.

"Why? Why would he do that to him?"

"I don't know...I'll get Tyler. Save him, Flora!" There were running footsteps and the sound of a slamming door. Evan struggled to keep his eyes open, numbness weighing him down to the table. He wanted to tell Berenice that getting Tyler wasn't necessary. He'd been hurt before. Hands were pulling his red leather jacket off and ripping his shirt. Blood dripped from the table to the greenhouse floor.

"Why didn't you fight back…?" The soft, concerned words drifted around Evan. He wondered that too. He had tried to defend himself. He had used his monsters, but he couldn't destroy the God when he knew he could have taken the darkness inside his human form and ripped it out. Why didn't he when this God was so intent on doing the same to him?

"I've become human…" He wasn't sure if he said the words out loud or just simply thought them as the world become dark once more. Dark stars danced around him, their red glow making them look like a shining apples grown in the brightest of days. Evan reached for the closest one, his hand curling around the star that became an apple in his hand. It looked so delicious, so beautiful.

With it's bright red glow, the Night God felt that he did not deserve to hold such a precious thing from the day but he wanted it nevertheless. More than wanting it, he craved it with every part of him. He raised it to his lips, the sweet scent of spring time surrounding him. When he bit into it, sweet juice filled his mouth, the crunch echoing in his ears. He smiled but it faded fast when a sudden burning, angry pain filled his throat. He looked down at the apple in his hands, seeing it turn black and drip with a black poison. He felt furious though he wasn't sure why. He wanted blood on his hands and darkness around him. Shadows floated around him, their red eyes glowing bright with anger.

The other Gods had always wondered why the Night God created monsters made from shadows with teeth like steel. It's because he is a monster. He is a nightmare made from the terrifying chaos that created this miserable universe. Something is going to unleash him on the world. A part of him was looking forward to it. He would fight back next time. His hand curled around the poison filled apple, crushing it between his fingers. A smile spread on his lips.

"Who was it? Was it Lui?" Tyler's angry voice pulled Evan back to the present. The rage and the poisonous apple disappeared, leaving him feeling weak and sad. The bright greenhouse came into focus, it's flowers watching over Evan.

"You mean Ehecatl? He'd never do this!" Berenice cried. Evan felt a flash of anger towards Tyler for upsetting her.

"Are you sure? I met with him earlier and he would do this." Evan tried to focus on Tyler who leaned over him, looking down at the wounds that covered Evan's chest. "How did you save him?"

"The tides." The Moon Goddess answered simply. "I'd be a fool to try to fight that God one on one with that dagger."

"What dagger?" Tyler spun suddenly to face her. "What dagger?!"

"It was gold...I couldn't see very much of it but as soon as it caught Evan...He was defenseless. If it was Ehecatl like you say...Then a very young God took down a Primordial! Almost killed him! What is happening, Tyler?" Evan was wondering the same question. He struggled to push himself up, a cry of pain escaping his lips. The three Gods turned to Evan, making him settle back down onto the table. "Stay still for awhile, Evan. You are still healing." Berenice said softly. Evan looked up at Tyler who had a look of guilt on his face, tears flooding his eyes. He turned away from Evan, pretending to be preoccupied with the bright sunflower.

"What's…" He trailed off, coughing up blood and water that still lingered in his lungs. "What's happening, Ares?" Evan demanded, using his wrist to wipe the blood off his face.

"There are Gods that want to take the world back for themselves. They are sick of being forgotten and pretending to be human. Lui, Ehecatl, is one of them. They have been threatening to kill those who won't join them and they started killing them today. Hypnos is dead. Then Lui came after you tonight, Evan. I'm sorry. I was trying to stop him. I couldn't find him. I'm sorry." Tyler couldn't look at Evan. "Me and Jonathan. He's outside...He doesn't want to see you hurt like this. It upsets him." Evan wanted to make a comment about how upset he was but held his tongue. "We're going to stop them. Athena knows what to do. We'll go see her."

"This is not a problem that can be solved in the future. It has be solved now. Lui wasn't going to stop." Evan managed to explain. "If it hadn't have been for Berenice, I would be dead. If he doesn't come after me again, someone else will. It won't end till all of them are gone."

"You can't move." Sydney was suddenly there, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder as she looked down at her. He reached up to gently catch a golden strand and threaded it through his fingers. "You can't stop a war from happening right now."

"Wounds haven't stopped me before." He whispered.

"She's right, Nyx." Jonathan stood in the doorway. At the sight of the blood that had spilled across the table and onto the floor, Jonathan had gone pale. He wasn't the kind of person who got sick at the sight of blood. He loved to spill it but the sight of Evan in pain and bloody made his stomach tighten and had found himself unable to say a single word till now. "You need to rest."

"I don't know if you have noticed or not...But I only exist at night! We don't have time for this. I can't help you during the day and I know you need me." Evan reasoned.

"He has a point there. It's not fair to him if he's gotta deal with the consequences of your actions at night without any knowledge, Tyler. Your mistake could have killed him tonight." Jonathan snarled.

"Don't you dare say that. You know that this would have happened eventually even without me talking to Lui!" Tyler advanced towards Jonathan, an angry energy surging through the small room. Evan's hands twitched, suddenly feeling the need to fight.

"Stop it!" Sydney moved between the two aggressive Gods, forcing them away from each other. A gentle calmness descended over the room, killing the aggression. "Take Evan back to your club. This is not the best place for him. Let Dionysus take care of him while you get Athena. I don't need anymore blood in here."

"But his wound-"

"He can't stay here, Berenice. It's not as protected as Tyler's club is." Sydney stopped her. Berenice nodded, reaching for Evan's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tyler and Jonathan stepped forward and helped Evan sit up. He wrapped an arm around their neck, taking a deep breath to brace himself.

"On three, okay?" Jonathan said softly. Evan nodded and they began to count. On three, they heaved him off the table. He let out a cry of pain, his nails digging into Jonathan and Tyler's shoulders. "You're okay...We'll take you to the car."

"Y-You have my car?" Evan stammered, looking at Tyler who gave him a smile reassuring smile. With help from Berenice and Sydney, they got Evan out to the car after having to stop a few times to let Evan catch his breath. The dagger had left him weak; weaker than he'd ever been.

"I've never seen anything like it." Sydney said to Berenice as Tyler and Jonathan got Evan into the car, ignoring his protests and cries of pain. "Wounds never hurt us before. We could just heal them up, no big deal. But this dagger...It's like it took all strength to heal away from him. It could have killed him. A regular dagger wouldn't kill a God…" The door closed and Evan could no longer hear the Flower Goddess.

"It's all going to work out...Right?" Jonathan leaned his head against the passenger seat window, glancing at Tyler as he started the car.

"Right. Athena has averted war before. Not that I really care...I live for that but in this case…" He glanced back at Evan who was aware of them looking at him. He didn't look at them, keeping his eyes out the window as Tyler drove down the street. The car drove towards the downtown core, neon lights flashing from street signs and the occasional car passed them on the street. He could tell that he had been unconscious for most of the night, the sky over the east horizon starting to brighten. He wanted to tell Tyler that they had no time but he couldn't find the words, exhaustion making him feel drained.

"Ares!" The car suddenly served, crashing at a high speed into a car parked at the side of the road. Glass shattered around them. Metal bent and snapped. The car alarm echoed through the street. Evan's head spun, the world blurring around him. He managed to push open the door, falling onto the glass covered pavement.

"Shit…" He pulled a fragment of glass from his hand, looking around to see what had happened. The passenger door creaked open, glass and bits of metal falling to the road. Jonathan coughed, looking around the empty street with wide eyes. "W-What happened?"

"Evan!" He looked up in time to see a strange creature running towards him. It had the head of a strange, tropical bird and the body of a human. Sharp spike like feathers trailed down it's back. In it's hand was a sharp golden dagger. He had no time to admire how strange the creature was, the streetlights bursting into sparks above him. Shadows manifested around the Night God, attacking the creature with sharp claws and teeth. When the strange creature went down, another one took it's place. Evan grabbed it's wrist as it swung the dagger, throwing it back. The Shadows finished it off.

"What are these things?" Evan yelled as Jonathan joined the fight, firing his black handgun at the creatures that ran at him. They didn't stop, no matter how many they killed.

"I don't know! I've never seen them before!" Jonathan pulled his own knife out from where he kept it hidden strapped to his ankle and stabbed it into one of the creature's shoulder. Black blood splattered onto his hand, burning the skin there. He screamed, letting go of the knife and kicked the creature down to the street. "It burns…" Jonathan stammered, looking up at Evan with wide eyes.

"What the..." Tyler had crawled from the car after regaining consciousness, staring around the street with wide eyes. No one answered him. Up the street, far from the mob of creatures, Evan could see a figure who would wave their hand and more creatures would appear. More lights burst around them, the street left in total darkness. Sparks from Jonathan's gun illuminated the area around them in blinding flashes. Shadows emerged from the darkness, their smiles wide to reveal teeth; their eyes red like shining apples. They tore through the creatures, allowing Evan to push through the mob, not even having to lift a finger.

"Who are you?" Evan demanded once he was close enough, the shadows creating a protective circle around him.

"You're running out of time, Nyx." The God smiled. He wasn't a Greek God. His tropical coloured creatures continued to fight Jonathan and Tyler, both of them trapped by the wrecked car. "Save your friends before you no longer have the option."

"What do you want with us?"

"Join us. You can take the world back without a fight. It'd be easier for everyone." The God smiled. Evan shook his head. "I mean...You could have killed Ehecatl without any special dagger like these ones…" A golden dagger like the one Lui had used appeared in his hand. "You can destroy Gods. Why do you hide yourself away?"

"That power is not one that you want to have. It's not a gift. It's a curse." Evan curled his hands into fists, the Shadows becoming more aggressive. "One day I might show you it...If you keep attacking my friends that day will come sooner rather than later." Warm light suddenly spilled onto the street as the sun came over the horizon, the night sky starting to fade. Evan gasped, his Shadows bursting into glass like pieces around him.

"I don't think so." The God laughed. Jonathan suddenly screamed in agony, a gold dagger stabbed into his side. He fell against the car, glass slicing his hands. Tyler turned to him only to be stabbed in the back by one of the creatures.

"No!" Evan turned, his Shadows breaking into pieces around him, unable to exist in the burning morning light. He could already feel himself starting to fade. Looking down at his hands he could see cracks as he too began to break apart. He reached towards Jonathan who stretched his hand towards the Night God, screaming his name. Before Jonathan could reach Evan's hand the Night God suddenly burst like glass into a thousand translucent pieces that floated into the sky and disappeared in the bright morning light.

A dark owl feather fell to the blood soaked pavement.


	4. Chapter 4

"Evan!" Jonathan wailed as his hand slipped through the pieces of the Night God. All Tyler could do was watch the pieces float away into the morning sky. Pain tore through him, a feeling of despair making him slide down to the pavement as he let out a cry of pain. Whether it was physically or emotionally, he wasn't sure.

"You Gods just ain't trying anymore!" A voice laughed. A gunshot rang through the air, echoing painfully in Tyler's ears. He looked up at the God standing in front of the car, blood blossoming on the front of his blazer. "Agh...Fuck." He glared at Jonathan, a sudden force throwing the God of Revenge at the car. He fell unconscious to the pavement, the gun falling from his limp hand. The God turned his gaze to Tyler, his strange creatures standing around him, watching with their large bird-like eyes. Bright morning light flooded the street, blinding Tyler as he looked up at the God.

"Humans are going to be out soon…" Tyler warned, tasting his own blood in his mouth.

"Why should I care about mortals?" The God laughed. Tyler felt light headed, trying to keep himself awake as the pain numbed him. The dagger had left him weak, unable to fight, unable to move. "As much as I would love to leave the bodies of Gods on the streets of Los Angeles, we do have places to be." Before Tyler could react, a door appeared in the middle of the street. It was a simple wooden door, it's golden handle shining in the morning light. The God forced Tyler to his feet, marching him towards the door as he dragged Jonathan behind him. Tyler stumbled, heaving for air through gasps of pain with every movement. The God used his free hand to open the door, pushing Tyler in. He stumbled and tripped over his feet, falling to a polished floor. He could smell coffee and hear the faint sound of old music playing on the radio. "Thank you for the door, Craig." The God stepped over Tyler, dropping Jonathan beside him.

"It's what I do." An accented voice said with a laugh. Polished shoes clicked on the black and white tiled floor. The smell of apple pie floated through the air.

"You must be Ares." Another accented voice said, a smile in it's tone. Tyler looked up, unable to see the face of the God that looked down at him, his face hidden by the glow of lights above him.

"W-Where am I? Where did you take us?" Tyler demanded, trying to sit up so he wouldn't feel so humiliated in front of these Gods. The wound in his back made him wince, gasping as he fell back to the floor.

"You've stabbed them, Esu! What did I tell you?" The God spun to face the one who sent the birdlike creatures after them.

"You said unharmed, but they put up a fight." The Trickster God said with a shrug. Tyler had heard that name before. The God had come to Los Angeles a few years ago, briefly meeting Tyler for a few moments one day. He had called himself 'Marcel'. Tyler struggled to think, looking around the small diner with wide eyes. The whole room was full of Gods. The energy was overwhelming. It had been so long since he had been in a room like this. He had forgotten what it felt like.

"Then heal them before they bleed out on the floor." The God walked away from Tyler, his blonde hair glinting in the bright light. Marcel sighed in annoyance, kneeling in front of Tyler.

"You do know that those daggers slow the healing process down, right?" Marcel snapped at the God who waved him away. Marcel sighed again, placing a hand on Tyler's shoulder. A sudden jolt of energy went through him, shocking his muscles and nerves. He grit his teeth, hands shaking as his muscles tensed and his wounds healed. Marcel pulled him to his feet, pulling him to one of the booths and sat him down across from the blonde haired God.

"Apple pie?" The God smiled, sliding a plate with a perfect slice towards him. Tyler pushed it back towards him, feeling too sick with nervousness to want to eat.

"Who are you?" Tyler demanded as the God cut his own slice from the pan.

"Abellio. Most people just call me Brian." The God cut his slice and bit into it, smiling at Tyler. The God of War stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Are you kidding me? This group of revolutionaries is led by the God of the fucking Apple Tree?" Tyler laughed, glancing at the other Gods around him. "Do you believe this? You want the God of the Apple Tree to rule the world?"

"He has more motivation to do it than any of you." Marcel spat as he healed Jonathan who let out a cry of shock.

"My mind isn't clouded with power like you or any other Greek God. You all have too much power." Brian cut fiercely into his pie and stabbed a piece with his fork, looking up at Tyler. "I'm a peaceful God. I can help this world. I can help rid it of all the pain. Make a bright and beautiful day that lasts forever created and ruled by Gods. How beautiful would that be?"

"Are you insane? You want to completely change how this world works?" Tyler cried, glancing nervously at Jonathan who stared around the diner in a daze.

"Not completely. I'd just take away the things that are not allowing for this change to happen naturally." Brian smiled, putting the piece of pie into his mouth. "Mmm...You really should have some of this. It's delicious. It's made from the best apples grown in the brightest of days."

"Why am I here if you don't like me so much?" Tyler demanded, glancing at the other Gods that stood around the diner. By the bar, a short Roman God sipped from a pink milkshake. He was the one who created the door that he had been dragged through. Tyler stared at the Roman God, hatred in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, there will be conflict and that makes you useful to us. Most of the Gods now a days are living in a La La Land. They drift through existence pretending they don't matter to the universe anymore. They think they can live like an insignificant human life-"

"You're an insignificant God." Tyler cut him off. Brian narrowed his eyes at him and continued.

"And unfortunately, they cling to their pretend mortal lives. They won't want to change...At least not without conflict. That's where you come in. I need you to create the perfect war. One that we can win. One with no surprises for us. Nothing that won't stop me and my Gods but everything that will stop those against us." Brian explained, a smile on his face.

" There's no such thing.. I can't create that. War isn't is disgusting. Violent. No mercy to either side. I never favor any side. Why should I? I'm just here for the aggression, the brutal energy created by humans taking orders from bloodthirsty leaders who think they are Gods. You remind me of them. You sit here and eat your sweet pie surrounded by your soldiers who bend the laws of the universe for you. That's not right." Tyler leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the Celtic God. "If you paid attention to time and history, you would have seen that those leaders were all destroyed in the end. Their empires were shattered." He hit the plate in front of him off the table, the glass shattering onto the marble floor, pieces of sweet apple now ruined. Jonathan stared at the broken glass and scattered apples before looking back up at Tyler. A surge of energy went through the diner, leaving everyone breathless, exhausted and weak. It left them feeling hopeless and alone. Brian leaned back his seat, overwhelmed with the negative feelings. "Do you know what that is?" Tyler snarled. Brian shook his head. "It's war."

"We don't need a demonstration, Ares. All of us are old." The door creating God said, a british accent floating through his voice. "I don't deal with violent things or positive things. I create opportunities. I create doorways to new things. I see you as a doorway and on the other side is what we need. Now we can turn the knob and step inside. Or we can ax our way through. Your choice." Janus, the Roman God of Opportunities smiled.

"I didn't need your help, Craig." Brian muttered, still feeling winded from the energy that Ares had created. Tyler looked around the room, seeing Lui and another Aztec God beside him, watching. Near the door, a tall Celtic God that seemed to glow had his arms crossed, watching Jonathan to make sure he didn't try to grab his weapons. Marcel was across the room, twirling the black owl feather that Evan had left behind in his hand.

His chest tightened, realising what the hard way to this would be. If he said no to them, they would wait for Evan. He had the power to destroy Gods. He was one of the first, created from the darkness in space. Some said he had been created by a black hole deep in space, and that he is capable of destroying all light. Gods marveled at how Evan could be in such control over his powers and not let them get to his head. There were times in the past when Tyler had wondered if it already had. However, Tyler knew that they had already weakened their chances at getting him. He wouldn't join their side. He loved this world, but he also loved his friends.

"What about you, Nemesis?" The Sun God by the door said in a thick irish accent. The room's attention turned to the God of Revenge who sat on the floor surrounded by broken glass.

"Am I doorway?" Jonathan spat at Craig.

"You are a powerful person." Brian said, standing up. Glass crunched under his polished shoes. "And you know Nyx very well."

"Don't bring Nyx in to this. You've hurt him enough already." Jonathan snapped, staggering to his feet to face the apple God.

"We haven't hurt him. He's still alive and well despite Lui's efforts." Brian shot a glare at the Wind God. "If you two wish to remain against us then we'll wait right here for the Night to come find you. He's more valuable than you two combined. If we can't have him killed then we'll have him join us. Like they say...when one door closes, another opens."

"Evan won't help you." Tyler said quietly. Brian turned back to him, a dark look on his face. "He loves this world as it is too much. He'd do anything for it. He loves the beauty in it and is proud to have a hand in making it so beautiful. He'd be heartbroken if he saw it destroyed. Of course he won't help you. It'd be going against his own nature."

"We all go against our nature eventually. You are talking peace when you are the God of War. Sounds like you've gone against your nature." Brian smiled when Tyler couldn't think of a response to that.

"Because if a war comes out of this, there will be no more Gods left." Jonathan said for Tyler. The Apple God looked confused.

"Explain, Nemesis." Brian encouraged him with a wave of his hand.

"Because one way or another...The Primordial God will get involved and no matter what side he chooses, destruction will come to all. It was 1645 in Rome where I saw him reach inside a God and pull out all the darkness inside of them. It poured like black poison from their eyes and mouth, and blinding light replaced it. I watched this God be burned from the inside out and the only thing that was left was a shell of a once great deity. He laughed when he did it. He was so full of power, he could have plunged the world into an eternal night. You have to stop this. You cannot bring Evan into this. You will never achieve your goal. None of us will." Jonathan warned. "All of us here except for Bel-"He motioned to the tall Irish Sun God. "Were created for human purposes. Nyx was created for the universe. There is a higher power in him. You, Abellio, are nothing to him."

"If Nyx is so great, then why was Lui able to almost kill him?" The Sun God asked.

"Cause he's become a weak and sad God, Daithi. He's damned himself to an eternity of solitude and darkness and instead of making himself a great powerful God, he's reduced himself to debating with the Moon about philosophy and drinking wine with Dionysus." Lui laughed. "He may as well be mortal. Nyx isn't as great as you think he is, Jonathan. I think that you are just obsessed with him. You've created the perfect image of your Night God in your head and you can't get past it."

"Shut up." Jonathan's hands curled into fists.

"Have I upset you? Have I shattered your perfect image?" Lui taunted. "Did it shatter like Evan does when morning comes?" He laughed, glancing at Craig who had a smile on his face. "Maybe we'll make him break to the point of never coming back."

"Shut up!" Jonathan picked up a piece of broken glass from the plate, lunging at Lui who was able to block his blow and hit him hard in the jaw. Seeing an opportunity, Tyler got up and ran towards the kitchen of the diner, seeing a window that he could break and climb out. He had to get to Athena before nightfall. He knew she could stop them. He didn't have the power to stop all of them on his own. He reached the window, using his elbow to break it, glass raining down around him. The door beside him opened suddenly, Craig leaning against the doorframe.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, startling Tyler who had just seen Craig in the front room. Now he was here. Craig suddenly swung at Tyler, pain exploding from his nose as it broke under the Roman God's fist. He grit his teeth, grabbing the Roman God's collar and slammed him against the door, his head hitting the hard metal. Craig aimed a sharp kick to Tyler's kneecap, pain surging through him suddenly. He gasped, loosening his grip on Craig's collar who turned and threw him against the wall that suddenly opened behind him like a door.

Tyler crashed to warm sandy beach, bright sunlight flooding his eyes. Craig stood in the doorway that had appeared in the wall, the diner kitchen visible behind him. Tyler grabbed a handful of sand, throwing it into Craig's face as he got to his feet and started running. He could get away, he only had to run fast enough. He jumped over humans tanning in the warm sun and dodged around kids and their beach toys. Arms suddenly curled around his waist and he was thrown to the ground, crashing through another doorway and rolled onto the hot pavement of one of Los Angeles' busiest streets. Tyler scrambled to his feet, narrowly missing the car that sped past him. He spun in time to stop Craig from pushing him into the path of the next car.

"Stop this! You are going to reveal us to humans! You can't do that!" Tyler cried, holding onto the God's wrists tightly.

"Yes I can!" He pulled his hands from Tyler's grasp, aiming a sharp hit to his jaw. He stumbled back, grabbing onto Craig's sleeve as he dodged another car.

"I won't reveal myself." Tyler snarled. "I won't hurt innocent people." He grabbed onto Craig's collar, swinging him into the path of traffic. Craig smiled, a door appearing behind them as they crashed through it onto a dusty hill, the towering white letters of the Hollywood sign below them. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm looking for the perfect spot to kill you." Craig got to his feet, aiming a sharp kick to Tyler's side. He cried out in pain, rolling on the dusty ground towards the steep slope and the metal letters. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing it hadn't come to this.

He pushed himself up, feeling cold metal and wood against his hand. He only needed one shot for this. He aimed the one shot rifle at Craig, the gunshot echoing painfully in his ears. The God gasped, staggering back as he looked down at the blood blossoming on his shoulder. Tyler go to his feet, dropping the rifle as he slowly waved his hand in front of him, another appearing in front of him. It floated in the air, waiting for Tyler.

"I-Impressive." Craig smiled. He suddenly lunged at Tyler who staggered backwards, reaching for the gun. He missed, the gunshot deafening them as they fell down the slope, dust flying up around them. They fell through an open door, falling from the ceiling of the diner to it's hard tiled floor. Tyler let out a groan of pain from where he landed beside Jonathan who was now bruised and bloodied from his own fight. Craig staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his shoulder. He glanced at Brian and nodded slowly, confirming his suspicions.

"W-Where did you go?" Jonathan asked. Tyler couldn't answer him. It had been so long since he had used his powers; it left him feeling drained. In the beginning, his powers had been limited, but now he could create any weapon that had ever been used in warfare. He had thought that with Craig, he wouldn't have needed anything special but he was wrong. He was back where he started, covered in bruises, blood and dust. He rolled onto his back, heaving for air as Brian looked down at him, a smug smile on his face.

"To be able to create weapons out of thin air; I always thought your power was a myth. I'd hate to be against you, Ares. Please rethink your decision. You still have a little bit of time before Nyx arrives." Outside the sun was getting lower to the horizon as the afternoon wore painfully on towards evening. "You too, Nemesis." Brian left them on the floor, walking towards his Gods across the room. Tyler could hear their whispered voices, a feeling of dread coming over him. Curling into a ball, he thought about Evan, how he would fall right into Brian's hands. Tyler spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the floor, his arms hugging his knees. He and Jonathan stared at each other, neither sure of what to do.

"What if we make a break for it?" Jonathan asked as he moved closer to Tyler, watching the other Gods. Lui and Daithi played a game of cards while Craig healed his wound, shooting dark glares at Tyler every so often. Brian juggled a bright red apple between his hands, the polished red skin reflecting the neon glow of the lights outside. The other Aztec God who they learned was called Arlan who ruled over the same things that Brock did, kept watch by the window, waiting for the Night God to arrive. Marcel stayed close to Tyler and Jonathan, taunting them with the black owl feather he played with.

"We already tried that." Tyler spat, glancing nervously at the Trickster God as he twirled the feather.

"We could fight. You could actually be useful for once." Jonathan shot back.

"I haven't used that power in a long time and it left me weak today. I won't be much use to you if I get that exhausted simply creating a one shot gun." Tyler sighed, glancing to see if Marcel was listening to them.

"So we're going to sit here and wait for Evan? Do you know what will happen if he shows up here?" Jonathan's eyes were wide with fear. Outside, the sky outside was getting darker with every passing minute.

"Jon...I kno-"

"They'll get inside his head. They'll use his weakness against him. Brian will twist him into this mindless killing machine. He won't be our Evan anymore. He won't think twice about destroying this world. We have to do something!" Tyler shook his head.

"We have to hope that Athena knows that we have been taken. She will stop Evan and she will help us." Tyler wanted to fight. He didn't want to give up like this.

"Evan has never been able to protect his head." Jonathan stared at Tyler intently. He was right. They were doomed.

"Where is he?" The sky had gone dark, only strands of warm orange light were left on the horizon. Tyler lifted his head, looking up at the frustrated Apple God with a small smile. Maybe he was right. Maybe Kelly had stopped Evan.

"No idea." Tyler shrugged.

"Where is he?" Brian grabbed onto Tyler's suit jacket, hauling him to his feet. "Tell me. I know you know where he is." Tyler shrugged again.

"I don't know where Evan is."

"Liar!" Brian threw Tyler to the ground, the force knocking the air from his lungs. He lifted his foot to kick Tyler in the ribs as he rolled, a handgun in his hand. Brian stared down the black barrel to Tyler who smiled at him. The other Gods got to their feet, tension filling the small diner. "I thought you said your power made you weak."

"It did at first." He got to his feet, keeping the gun steady as he stared the Apple God down. "Now...I got a few questions for you and I want answers. Where did you get those daggers?" Brian laughed, glancing nervously at the Gods behind him.

"Like I'd answer that." Brain's laughter faded when Tyler pulled the trigger, purposefully missing. The bullet flew past Brian's head, hitting the wall behind him.

"A human! He specializes in ancient weaponry from the Gods!" Brian cried. The Gods behind Tyler sighed in anger at their leader. Sensing movement behind him, he raised his free hand, his hand curling around the hilt of a sword. He turned his head, meeting Daithi's wide eyes. His hand was glowing, intent on burning Tyler.

"Don't." The War God warned. He turned back to Brian, tightening his grip on the gun. "What is this human's name? Where can I find him?" Before Brian could answer, a sudden gust of air threw Tyler back, forcing him to drop the gun. He curled both hands around the sword, looking up at Lui who made sure Brian was okay. He turned to Tyler, the golden dagger appearing in his hand. "I think mine's bigger." Tyler joked. Lui didn't laugh. He lunged at Tyler who leaned back to avoid the sharp tip of the dagger and swung his sword at Lui who met it with his dagger. They spun, sparks flying off the metal as the swords scraped together. Tyler dropped to one knee, swinging the sword to slice into Lui's torso. The Wind God jumped back, putting his free hand down towards the floor to create a gust of wind that sent him flying backwards. Tyler got back to his feet, blocking Lui's blow as the Wind God recovered and jumped at him again, using air to propel himself forward.

The dagger fell from Lui's hand, sliding across the black and white floor and came to a stop at Brian's feet. Tyler stepped towards Lui, rage consuming him. "Is this how you attacked Evan? Cornered him and left him for dead?" Tyler raised the sword. A scream rang through the diner. The sword fell to the tiled floor. Tyler couldn't move, the pain overwhelming. Brian stood behind him, his hand on the dagger's hilt that he had stabbed into Tyler's back. Blood oozed onto the Apple God's hand.

"Yes...Yes that is how I tried to kill him. And how I'll do it again." Lui snarled as Brian pulled the dagger from Tyler's back, letting him fall with a cry of pain to the floor.

"Where is Evan?" Brian snarled. Tyler shook his head, gasping for air. Brian kicked Tyler in the back, the force rolling him onto his stomach. He cried in pain, tears falling from his eyes. "Where is he, Ares?!"

"My club! He's there with Dionysus and Athena probably! If he isn't there...I don't know where he is then…" Tyler cried, guilt washing over him. He let out a choked sob, looking over his shoulder to meet Jonathan's disappointed gaze. Brian smiled, turning to the other Gods.

"Lui, Craig. Go get Nyx." Brian ordered. They nodded, stepping through a door Craig created. Tyler could see the dark street on the other side, wishing he could get up and run after them but the pain was too much. He couldn't move from where he lay with his face pressed to the tiled floor. Jonathan looked away from Tyler, anger written across his face.

"I-I'm sorry…" Tyler stammered. He wasn't sure who he was saying it to. There were too many people to whom he owed those words. "I'm sorry…"


	5. Chapter 5

Evan awoke with a gasp, unsure of where he was for a moment. He laid on sun warmed sand, looking up at the night sky. It wasn't clear, dark clouds threatening to bring a storm blocking out the stars. As he sat up, he stared around the beach with wide eyes, expecting to see Lui or the God with the strange creatures but there was no one. Not even the Moon.

He remembered the crash, how destroyed his car was and he remembered Tyler and Jonathan. He had tried to reach them, thinking that he could have somehow anchored himself to this world if he grabbed onto Jonathan but his hand has fallen through his and he had left them there to die.

"No...No they are alive." Evan reassured himself as he pushed himself to sit up, wincing at the sore pain left from the wounds the Wind God had given him. He scrambled to his feet, kicking up the sand around him as he did. He didn't have his car and Tyler's club was too far to walk to. He knew Athena would be upset with him but had no choice. Black feathers pierced through his skin, replacing his leather jacket and spread across his body.

The streetlamps blew out, showering sparks onto the pavement. In the darkness, the Great Horned owl took flight into the night sky. Stars danced in the darkness among its feathers. It's large yellow eyes watched the streets blew as it flew among the towering skyscrapers. It had been so long for the owl who for just a moment, joyfully rolled through the air, feeling the cold night wind in it's feathers. The God composed himself and remembering the danger his friends were in.

The owl's yellow eyes landed on the club far below, it's lights off and the street was empty save for one Goddess who watched the night sky. The owl circled above the club before descending towards the street. Feathers turned into red and white leather and black hair, yellow eyes fading to dark brown.

"Do you realise how foolish it is to do that, Evan?" Kelly snapped. Evan plucked a feather from his wrist and let it go in the wind.

"No. There is no time for me to walk anywhere, Athena. Unless you want to create a magical door that will take me everywhere, I have no other choice." Evan shot back. "Do you know where Tyler and Jonathan are?"

"Get inside. It's not safe to talk about this out here." She brushed past him, pushing open the heavy black door into the quiet club. No music played, no lights flashed. Brock stood by the bar, a wine glass in his hand. "How strong is the protection on this place tonight?"

"As strong as it gets. We're making those charms work over time." Brock smiled, taking a sip from his wine. "Want a drink?"

"Athena, tell me. Where is Tyler and Jonathan?" Evan demanded. She didn't answer, looking around the club as if the answer was hidden in the walls.

"I don't know. Whoever has taken them has hidden them well. There are powerful Gods who want the world back. Hiding Ares and Nemesis is no big deal to them." She finally explained, meeting Evan's dark stare.

"Then it should be no big deal finding them! I'm a Primordial!"

"Which is exactly why you can't find them!" Athena yelled. The glass in Brock's hand shattered, red wine splattering like blood onto the floor. "If they get a hold of you, if they get in your head, you'll become their puppet. You cannot leave this club!" She ordered. Evan shook his head, refusing to listen.

"I will! They are my friends, Kelly! It's my fault that they got taken! I have to get them back!" Evan cried.

"They are my friends too!" She shot back. "Don't you dare forget about me! Don't you dare forget about the times where I have been right and you didn't listen! The times when you did listen and disaster was averted! Don't you dare forget!"

"I'm not forgetting! I'm listening, Athena!" Evan ran his hands through his hair. He had forgotten what it was like to be this stressed, the feeling of doom and failure overwhelming him.

"No you aren't! You want to run headlong into a trap that will turn you into one of your Shadows! You aren't listening!" She yelled back.

"Stop it!" Brock stepped between them, glass cracking under his polished shoes. "Stop yelling at each other. Tyler and Jonathan are in danger. The longer you stick around here yelling, the more danger they will be in. Evan is right, we have to find them. However…" He emphasised when he saw Evan's triumphant smile. It faltered as Brock continued. "Athena is also right. Evan, you can't go. You are far too powerful and far to unprotected in the head to go out there." Evan couldn't fight that; Brock was right.

"So what do you plan to do then?" Evan demanded, trying to make himself sound more confident than he was.

"I'll go. I'll find out where they are and who has them." Kelly said as she headed towards the door. "Brock will stay here with you, Evan." Brock followed her to the door, their whispered voices reaching Evan who stood alone in the dark, empty club. "Don't let him leave...No matter what." The Goddess' quiet words floated around Evan. He felt useless. He had so much power and all of it was going to waste. He was going to waste.

When Brock returned to the main room, Evan had found a seat by the bar and a strong drink. The God of the Grape sat down beside the Night God, tension hanging heavily between them.

"Am I useless?" Evan finally said, looking at Brock with wide eyes. "You won't let me do anything."

"Evan no. You aren't-"

"I almost died fighting a young God. I can't find my friends. I can't protect my head. I'm useless! I'm nothing!" Evan yelled, getting up suddenly. He kicked the bar stool, watching it roll across the smooth floor. "I've always been nothing! I don't want to be nothing anymore!" He turned back to Brock who struggled to find the right words. "I want to be something."

"You are something, Evan. You are a Primordial. You are powerful and kind. You are the best God in this whole goddamn universe." Brock stood up, reaching out a gentle hand to Evan who stepped away from him, shaking his head.

"I don't want that…" He whispered.

"Don't tell me you want to be a mortal." Brock laughed. Evan didn't answer him. He didn't want to be a mortal but he wanted the joys that came with it; love, daylight, happiness, and obliviousness. Mortals have it all. Brock sighed, pulling Evan into a hug. Evan leaned his head against his shoulder, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "Please don't feel like you are nothing when you are everything." Evan wanted to listen to him, wanted to believe him but something didn't let him. He nodded and gave Brock a smile as he moved away from the hug, heading towards the stairs that lead to the lounge. He wanted to lie down, his head throbbing, his chest aching with a heavy emptiness.

The sound of a knock on the club's front door startled the two Gods, both of them turning to look at the narrow hallway and the heavy black metal door at the end of it. Brock glanced back at Evan before walking towards the door.

"Brock stop! Wait! You don't know who that could be!" Evan called out, reaching for him.

"It's okay, Evan. It's probably nothing. Stay here." Brock gave him a reassuring smile and headed for the door. He unlocked it, having to put in effort as he pulled open the heavy door.

"Evening." An accented voice said with a smile. Brock suddenly flew backwards, colliding into the bar. Bottles tipped off the counter, shattering onto the floor around the God. Evan fell to his knees at Brock's side, trying to heal the wound that had appeared on the back of Brock's head. He pulled Brock into his arms, keeping on hand held to the back of his head. Blood oozed through his fingers as he tried desperately to heal him. His hands shook with fear, unable to stay focused on healing his friend.

"No...No! Brock please come back. It's okay. It's not that bad." Evan begged, tears welling up in his eyes.

"He'll be fine. You should be more worried about yourself, Nyx." Lui said as he and another God strode into the club as Evan looked up at them, his vision blurred with tears.

"What do you want?"

"Your presence has been requested." The Roman God said with a smile as he twirled a golden dagger in his hand.

"By who?" Evan demanded as the Roman God created a door in the middle of the club. It didn't belong in such a modern club. It reminded Evan of the doors in great Victorian era mansions. That had been a romantic time for the Gods, where they could flash some of their power and not have to worry about too many mortals fearing them. They were still worshipped. Then the war came and left them forgotten.

"Come on then." The Roman God gestured to the door. Evan couldn't move, couldn't think of what to do. He was outnumbered and he wouldn't survive another fight like this. The Roman God sighed in frustration, his angry gaze turning to Lui.

"Do you remember what I said about what we could give you?" The Wind God asked as he knelt in front of Evan. "We can give you everything you wanted. You can have your friends back. You can have the day...But you can only have them if you come with us." Evan looked down at Brock and the blood on his hand that cupped his head. Evan had been able to heal the wound but it had taken all of Evan's energy to do so. "Dionysus will be fine. Now get up." Lui stood up, offering his free hand to Evan. "You don't have a choice." With a sigh, Evan laid Brock down on the floor, brushing the glass away before reluctantly getting to his feet.

"Do you know where Tyler and Jonathan are?" Evan asked, glancing between the two Gods.

"Of course we do." The Roman God laughed and opened the door. Neon light flooded the club and the warm, sweet scent of apple pie wrapped around Evan as he followed him through the door. He glanced at Brock one last time before the door closed behind him and faded away.

The Night God stood in the middle of a diner. It's white and black checkered floor was splattered with blood. Gods stood around the room, watching him as he took in this new place. Sitting at one of the booths, a blonde God was eating a slice of apple pie. He turned his head and smiled at Evan when his eyes landed on him. The God got to his feet, his polished shoes reflecting the neon light as he approached the Primordial God.

"You must be Nyx. It's an absolute honor to be in your presence at last!" The Celtic God smiled, shaking Evan's hand. "My name is Abellio but you can call me Brian! Please, have a seat. Want some pie? It has the best apples grown in the bes-"

"Where is Ares and Nemesis?" Evan snarled. The bright lights flickered, threatening to plunge the diner into darkness. The God of the Apple Tree turned back to Evan, a nervous look flashing across his face. He regained his composure and with a loud, annoyed sigh, he gestured to one of the Gods. The God who created the strange birds that had attacked Evan the night before smiled at him as he walked past him and down a hallway to the back of the diner.

"They're fine...But I didn't invite you hear to talk about them. Your power is one that I have heard amazing things about. Is it true that you were created in a black hole?" Brian asked. Evan didn't answer. Brian cleared his throat awkwardly and continued. "Well it doesn't matter where we were created. What matters now is that we all exist at the same time and unfortunately this time is cruel to us. We can take this world back, Nyx. We can create the perfect world. You're a Primordial. You're one of the big guys; among the first! You once ruled this world. I know you let your Shadows and your other nighttime creatures rule the earth long ago. You can have it again. Join me! We will be unstoppable."

"Evan don't listen to him!" Tyler's voice suddenly rang through the diner. The War God was bruised and covered in dust and dried blood. He seemed pale and weak, stumbling on the polished floor. Jonathan followed him, his eyes locked onto Evan. "Protect your head, Evan! Don't let him in! Don't lis-" Lui knocked Tyler's legs out from under him, forcing the War God to his knees. Jonathan flinched as Lui stepped towards him before kneeling beside Tyler. It wasn't like him to flinch.

"What did you do to them?" Evan's dark gaze turned back to Brian who smiled nervously.

"They caused trouble. Some force was needed, you understand that don't you? I'm sure in the old days force was all you used." Brian laughed.

"Are you scared of me?" Evan leaned forward, getting closer to the Apple God. He shrunk back, trying to not make it obvious that he was moving away from the Night God.

"N-No! Why would I be scared of you?" Brian laughed again, looking at the Gods behind Evan. The Night God suddenly grabbed Brian's collar, a few of the lights bursting. Shadows were cast across the floor, slithering towards the Apple God. "Stop! Stop it!" Brian yelled, pushing Evan off. "That was uncalled for!"

"So is killing Gods because they don't agree with you. I am very old and I have seen the worst of this world. What we have now is paradise. You should be grateful but instead you want to destroy this world. You killed Hypnos. You hurt my friends. You tried to kill me and now you beg me to join you! You disgust me!" Evan yelled, another light bursting into sparks. Shadows danced in the corners of the rooms, their smiles wide to show their sharp teeth.

"What do you think sunlight feels like?" Brian suddenly asked. The question caught Evan off guard. The Shadows' smiles wavered as they faded.

"Evan!" Tyler warned. "Don't listen!"

"I don't...I've never thought about it…" Evan shook his head.

"Liar. It's all you think about." Brian's smile got bigger. Evan shook his head again, looking away from him. "You crave the daylight." As he held up his hand a beautiful red apple appearing in his hand. Evan remembered his dream and the star that became a beautiful apple in his hand. This apple glowed just like the stars he loved.

"Evan no!" Jonathan yelled, his voice startling Evan out of his trance. "Don't listen to him! No amount daylight is worth the pain!"

"That's not true, Nyx. Every single ray of sunlight is worth it. Everything you have suffered through or ever will is worth it if you get to feel the warm sunlight on your face every day." Brian pulled Evan back in his trance. He no longer felt in control of himself. He could only listen to Brian's voice, could only do what he told him."You are hungry for the day. Satisfy your hunger."

Evan reached for the apple, his hand curling around the fruit as he brought it to his lips. He sank his teeth into the juicy apple, the sweet taste filling his mouth. Bright light suddenly flooded the diner, blinding him. He flinched away from the light, heat surrounding him as he closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a warm, bright beach. Palm trees swayed in the warm breeze. Waves crashed onto the shore, the bright blue water sparkling in the light. Evan's dark eyes rose to see a beautiful blue sky above him, a blinding star hovering in the middle of it. Warmth washed over him, a feeling he had never felt before. Light covered him, blinding to his eyes as he looked up at the blue sky.

"It's so beautiful…" Evan breathed. "So beautiful…" He smiled, mesmerized by the way the waves sparkled in the light and by how bright the sky was. No stars shone in the sky but that was okay because the sun was bright enough. He wanted to lay on the sand and watch the sun move across the sky. He could spend forever like this. He wanted to see every beautiful thing the daylight had to offer. He wanted to go see Sydney's flowers and the city's tower windows shining in the light. He wanted to see all the people that were never out at night and how full of life everything would be.

"You can have all this." Brian was suddenly in front of him, his hair looking golden in the light. "Join me, Nyx. We'll be unstoppable."

"I will. I will!" Evan nodded. A part of him knew he wasn't in control of himself, that none of this was real but another part didn't care. He was so blinded by the beauty of the day that he would do anything for it.

He raised the apple to his mouth again, hoping that another bite would make this last longer. As he bit into it, black poison filled his mouth, burning his throat. The apple dropped from his hands, landing on the black and white diner floor. Black poison oozed from its core. Evan gagged and choked as he fell to his knees, trying to spit out the poison. He gasped for air, looking up at the Apple God with wide eyes. "W-Why?" Evan cried in agony. "I-I said...I said I would join you!" He fell onto his back, looking up at the blinding lights as he choked on the poison that filled his throat.

"I want to know what hurts you so if you decide to turn against me...I can stop you. I want you to be loyal and i don't want to hurt you again, Evan." Brian knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.

"Don't touch him! Stop it! Let him go!" Jonathan screamed, fighting against Lui who held him down to the floor. "Let him go!" Brian ignored him as he healed Evan, his breathing calming as the pain went away.

"Will you do something for me, Nyx?" Brian asked as Evan sat up. He nodded, looking at the Apple God with wide eyes. "I want you to kill those two. I want you to show me what you can do." Evan nodded again. Still in a trance, Evan got to his feet, walking towards Tyler and Jonathan.

"Evan...Evan snap out of it. Stop!" Tyler cried. Evan ignored him, lights bursting around them in small explosions of sparks that rained onto the tiled floor.. Lui pulled Jonathan to his knees, watching with a smile as Evan grabbed his throat and lifted him off his feet. Shadows swirled around the room as Jonathan began to scream in pain, struggling against Evan.

"I'll join you! I-I'll join you!" Jonathan screamed. "E-Evan!" With a word from Brian, Evan dropped Jonathan to the floor. He gasped for air, meeting Tyler's betrayed expression. The War God suddenly got his feet, pushing the God holding him down away. The gunshot that follow was loud, echoing painfully in Evan's ears as he staggered backwards. Tyler's hands shook as he tried to keep his grip steady on the gun in his hand. Evan looked down at the blood spreading across his chest before slowly meeting Tyler's gaze.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry!" Tyler cried, pulling the trigger again. A Shadow caught the bullet, it's sharp smile widening as it moved towards the War God. The gun disappeared, his hand curling around a sword that he used to cut through the Shadow. Evan was suddenly in front of Tyler , strands of his Shadow monster floating around him.

Evan reached for Tyler's throat, a burning pain shooting through the War God. Shadows floated out of his mouth and ears, oozing out of his eyes like poisonous tears. He gasped, struggling and kicking against his friend as he lifted him off his feet, the air choked from his lungs. Closing his eyes tightly, Tyler aimed a kick to Evan's chest. The shorter God gasped as the air was knocked out of him. He stumbled back, dropping Tyler to the tiled floor. As Evan stared down at his friend, he came to for just a moment. He fought against the trance that held him, glancing at the diner's door, before looking back at Tyler, hoping that he got the hint.

Evan watched as Tyler rolled suddenly, a grenade appearing in his hand as he reached for it's pin. Evan braced himself, grabbing onto Jonathan's hand as Tyler dove through the glass door, dropping the grenade onto the floor behind other Gods screamed, running towards another exit. Evan watched the Roman God create a door frantically, pulling Brian through it.

"Get Nyx!" Brian screamed at the Roman God. Hands grabbed onto Evan's shoulders, pulling him towards the door. He pulled Jonathan with him as the explosion sent the diner up in flames. The door closed on Evan before he could see if Tyler got away. He collapsed to his knees on the hard pavement of a quiet street, heaving for air as grief and regret crashed over him. In the distance, he could see flames and smoke rising into the air. Jonathan wrapped his arms around him, both of them aching with pain. It wasn't until Jonathan began rubbing his shoulders gently that Evan realized he was crying.

"It's okay...I forgive you...That wasn't you. It's okay." Jonathan whispered. "That wasn't you.."

* * *

 **NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:** Thank you so much for the support on this fic! I hope you are enjoying it so far! I am in the process of trying to figure out what to write next and I was reading through my past fics and realized that I could write a sequel to 'Awake'. However, I could also write one for this fic, 'La La Land.' So I'm asking the readers what I should write! Please let me know in the comments which fic you want to see get a sequel and why! Thank you so much!


	6. Chapter 6

Athens, Greece

 _443 BCE_

Gentle wind danced with the torches' flames, creating dancing shadows on the smooth pillars and across the stone floor. In the night sky, stars twinkled around the large moon as it traveled across the dark sky. Soft light from the ancient city below glittered just like the stars above.

Sitting among soft pillows, Ares stirred his wine as he watched the stars. The empire had settled and had agreed to peace with the Spartans, leaving him disappointed and swept aside to make room for peace. Beside him, his battered helmet lay just as forgotten as he was. He wanted more. He wanted to not be forgotten. He wanted to be something again.

"What was the past day like?" Ares turned to see the Night God wrapped in black, leaning against a pillar. "I just want to know if it was beautiful or not. If it wasn't...I want to create a beautiful night to make up for it." Nyx smiled as he moved towards Ares, sitting down beside him. "Or if it was beautiful...I want to create an even beautifuller night."

"Feeling ambitious are we?" Ares laughed. Nyx shrugged, picking up Ares helmet. "Careful with that."

"You should be more careful with your head." Nyx warned, feeling the dents and scrapes on the metal. "No more running head first into battles."

"It doesn't seem like I'll be doing any of that anytime soon." Ares sighed, taking the helmet back. "The humans have declared peace. No more fighting."

"Athena doesn't think so." Nyx said quietly. "War will come again. It always does. You can't just ask humans to get along. Nature doesn't work like that. Yet I believe that humans and Gods must try our best to get along...I know you might think differently."

"I agree...War is a cruel thing." Ares sighed. "I suppose that I should be grateful for a break."

"You should be."

"But I just want to be something again. Those humans only need me when they want to fight! You get called upon every night!" Ares cried.

"Yes but they think I'm a monster. The night is dark. It hides the unknown. Humans don't like not knowing everything." Nyx reminded him. "That's why I try to make it beautiful. They'll have nothing to fear if it's beautiful. Anyways...You shouldn't worry about being forgotten. You won't be. There will come a time where you are given an opportunity to use your full power again and you will seize and nothing will stop you. We are Gods and we want to be almighty. There are some that will want to deny it and they will repress those feelings but when given an opportunity, they'll take it. Maybe they'll be compelled to at first by another force but eventually...not even that force could stop them. I was like that long ago when there was nothing but night on this planet. I felt almighty."

"What made you change?"

"Life. I couldn't destroy anymore for there was too much that needed to created. I had to stop myself." Nyx explained, a far off expression on his face. "Don't let yourself get that way either, Ares. Make sure you can stop yourself. Though we are worshipped, we don't own this world as much as we used to."

"This conversation sounds very philosophical!" Dionysus said loudly as he suddenly sat down beside them. "Don't mind me."

"Do you want to be almighty, Dionysus?" Ares asked, a smile on his face. The God of the Grape paused, thinking a bit too deeply about the question.

"No...I've never experienced a time without these fascinating humans. Besides...I'm not that kind of God. I'm not the damning to the underworld type." He laughed.

"Neither am I. Are you, Nyx?" The War God asked. Nyx didn't answer. He only smiled and took a sip from his wine, his eyes on the sparkling stars above. Ares never got his answer…

Till now.

Los Angeles police sped past the weakened God as he stumbled down the streets. The lamp posts above him flickered out as the sun began to rise into the sky. Tyler gasped as he fell against a wall, feeling sick. He couldn't get the image of Evan's blank eyed stare as he fell under Brian's control and the wide eyed look of wonder at a lie that Brian created when Evan bit into the apple.

He should have seen this coming. He should have found a way to stop this long ago. Evan had been miserable for centuries. Ever since the Greek empire fell, Evan had been saddened by the cruelty of the world at night. During the great world wars, Evan finally gave up on beauty; Tyler had always felt guilty for that. He should have known that Evan would have let himself fall under control if it meant that he could be something again.

Knowing that he didn't have time to linger and wallow in his regrets, he looked around the empty street before continuing towards his club. He found himself looking over his shoulder nervously, fearing that he was being followed by the monster that had replaced his friend. The pain he had experienced was unlike anything he had felt before. It had felt like he was being burned from the inside as Evan pulled out the darkness in his body. What hurt him more was knowing that he had been unable to save his friend.

The club's neon light flickered in the morning light, the sight of it filling Tyler with some relief. However it all faded when he saw the open door swinging on it's broken hinges. "Brock…" The God broke into a sprint, ignoring the pain from his still healing wounds as he ran towards the broken door. He pushed it against the wall as he stumbled into the dark hallway. He made his way down the hall to the club, seeing the glass that littered the floor among small puddles of blood. Brock lay on the floor, surrounded by glass and blood. For a moment Tyler thought he was dead till he saw that he breathed peacefully, deep in sleep. "Brock." He said louder, shaking his shoulder. When he didn't awaken, Tyler shook him with more vigor. The God's eyes snapped open with a gasp as he sat up, staring around the empty club with fearful eyes.

"Evan! They got him! They got him!" Brock cried, grabbing onto Tyler's suit lapels.

"I know! I know…" Tyler stammered, pulling him into a hug. "We have to find Athena...She'll know what to do."

"She said she was going to find you...She told me that I was to stay with Evan and not let him leave no matter what!" Brock stammered, panic sending him to his feet. He staggered towards the broken front door, seeing nothing on the street outside. Tyler watched him as he turned weakly back to him, a look of failure written across his face. "What do we do?" Tyler couldn't answer him. Instead he stepped towards the sad God, taking his wrist and lead him upstairs where he poured him a strong drink. Brock slouched onto one of the couches, staring at the dark painted wall in front of him with a distant gaze. Tyler stayed by the window, looking at the city that glimmered in the warm morning light; blissfully unaware of the impending doom that clouded the horizon. "Where is Jonathan?" Brock's voice brought Tyler back to the present, glancing over his shoulder at him. He realised that he must look like a mess. His suit jacket shoulders were torn, his tie dangling from his neck like a noose waiting to be pulled tight. Dust covered his trousers and the blood of Gods crusted on his knuckles. Once more, Tyler couldn't answer him, looking away from his demanding gaze. "Tell me, Ares!" Brock yelled. This startled Tyler for he never used his real name. He decided that he owed Brock an explanation.

"Have you heard of Abellio? He goes by the name of Brian." Brock shook his head. "He's this silly little God of the Apple Tree. He's Celtic. Anyways...He's managed to convince these powerful Gods to join him...I think he's gotten in their heads. He got in Evan's."

"What? How?"

"He offered him an apple...A perfect looking apple. Jonathan and I were yelling at him, begging him to not listen to Brian. He put Evan in a trance as soon as he bit into the apple...I think he showed Evan the day. He made Evan agree to joining him. Then Evan bit into it again and this goo...this poison came out of the apple and he collapsed to the floor. Brian made him swear to help him. Then he healed him and told Evan to kill us. He went after Jonathan first...He was going to rip him apart! He was in so much pain that he pleaded to join so it would stop. He let Jonathan go but then he came after me...I think the trance broke for just a moment because he let me go...He let me fight back. I got away but I wasn't able to save Evan or Jonathan." Tyler fought back the tears that threatened to spill from his tired eyes. "We have to break the trance…"

"You'll do no such thing." The Gods jumped, turning to the stairs to see Athena and another Greek God behind her. She strode into the room, the sound of her heels muffled by the alcohol stained carpet. "It's good to see you alive, Ares."

"Who is this?" Tyler demanded, gesturing towards the other God. Though he was Greek, Tyler couldn't remember seeing him before.

"Chronos, but you can call me Luke." The God of Time said, holding a hand out to him. Tyler glanced down at his dirty hands and shook his head.

"I got dirty hands."

"We all do." Luke said quietly, a small smile on his face. Of course he did; time is just as unforgiving as war.

"They got Evan, didn't they?" Kelly asked, her eyes narrowed on Tyler as if it was all his fault. He felt like it was.

"And Jonathan too." Tyler added with sigh. She looked disappointed but didn't vocalize it. Instead she paced the room for a few moments, glancing at the window with a look of nervousness. It set Tyler on edge for he had never seen her look nervous before. "We have to get him. We have to fight."

"No." She snapped suddenly.

"Why?"

"We'll all be killed. Abellio has the power to put Gods in a trance and he can control them. We're powerless against them. However...with Nyx now involved, I predict that there will be a power shift that will be more violent then what is going on right now." Athena stated.

"Explain." Brock insisted, a confused look on his face. "If Abellio has a trance on them, how can there be a power shift?"

"It'll weaken." Luke chimed in. "Brian will become more demanding, especially of Nyx and the more powerful Gods. They'll become tired of it and one of them will take charge."

"Most likely it will be Nyx." Athena sighed.

"So what do we do then? We have to stop them and save Evan before that happens! His power could go to his head and he'll turn into a monster...We can't let that happen!" Tyler cried, jumping to his feet.

"We will because we know how to stop him once he has." Athena said calmly. Tyler stammered, trying to think of something to say that would change her mind. He glanced at Brock, hoping that he would support him but he stayed silent. "A long time ago, Evan lost control and in a moment of clarity, he created a dagger designed to stop himself. We need to find it. Once we have, we can put an end to all of this. Without him, Abellio is nothing."

"You mean we have to wait till he loses control and then kill him?" Tyler yelled. He hadn't felt this filled with rage in a long time. "No! He's my friend, Kelly! I'm not going to let that happen! How dare you suggest that to me?"

"We must all make difficult choices, Tyler! Evan made his choice when he created this dagger. He wants you to make this choice too." Luke said sharply. "I've seen what can happen when we let powerful, out of control Gods reign over the world. You've done it too, Tyler or must I remind you of the early twentieth century and the millions of deaths you caused." Tyler was caught off guard, unable to think of anything to say.

"So before that happens...We must find the dagger so we can be ready to strike when it happens." Kelly instructed. "The problem is is that no one except Nyx has ever seen it. It's been talked about a lot but it's hard to tell what is true and what isn't about."

"Some say it's made out of the blackest darkness found in space. Other's say it's created from a star as it was sucked into a black hole." Luke explained. Tyler was hardly listening. He couldn't comprehend what they wanted him to do. He refused to believe that the only answer to this was to kill his closest friend. He couldn't do it. He couldn't even think about finding such a horrible weapon. "Either way, we need all the help we can get to find it. I've been scouring time to see if it has appeared at any time. Kelly is talking to anyone left who is still on our side."

"Will you help us, Ares?" Kelly asked, reaching for his hand. He looked down at her hand in his, closing his eyes tightly.

"Give me time." He said. He couldn't think about this now. He couldn't get his mind past the idea of killing Evan. He couldn't do this right now. The God of Time nodded. He got to his feet, letting go of Kelly's hand as he left the lounge, heading down the stairs. He had to think. He had to find another way. He became so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise that he had hailed a taxi and soon found himself standing outside of the flower Goddess' home. He paid the driver before pushing open the gate, walking around the house to the greenhouse. Warm sunlight made the flowers around him glow brightly, soaking in the warm light so they would be able to grow bigger and even brighter.

"Sydney?"

"In here." The flower Goddess answered. He pushed open the glass door, stepping into the warm greenhouse. He met her wide eyed gaze, remembering how tattered his appearance still was. "What happened to you, Tyler?"

"Those Gods got Evan...I need your help." He couldn't look at her, instead staring at the bright flowers. The sunflower had gotten taller but it's bloom had begun to wilt. "He's in a trance...He's going to lose control...Athena wants to kill him. I don't know what to do!" He couldn't stop the tears now. Sydney pulled him into a hug, leaning her head against his chest. "I can't kill him...I can't! No one will listen to me!"

"I'll listen." She said quietly. He met her gaze, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Is there another way to help Evan…?" He managed to ask. She broke away from the hug, her gaze on the wilting sunflower. Tyler waited for her answer, fearing the worst.

"Sometimes we can't do anything but allow events to play out. I have heard about a dagger that Nyx created...if he created it he did so for a reason. You have to trust him that he knows this reason and I think he hopes you do too. If the only answer to this is the dagger than you have to find it. He'll understand. Maybe in your search, something else will come up and you'll find another way." She paused for a moment, meeting his sad gaze. "Even if he loses control, he's still Evan underneath it all. You just have to find him."


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't long before the Gods got bored with waiting for the perfect time to strike. The Apple God became ambitious. He became greedy and one night, he took the city. Shadows swarmed the streets with sharp smiles and just as sharp claws. Sudden doors opened and dragged helpless mortals into nightmares and strong winds shut the city down. Strange bird-like creatures ran through the streets, as merciless as the Shadows. One by one, Gods revealed themselves to the mortals, laughing at their fear. They felt like something again but Brian wanted more.

As the sun began to set a few days later, the God of Revenge watched the large great horned owl circle above the smoking buildings, stars glittering in it's feathers. The God of the Night circled the sky a few more times before turning towards Jonathan, gliding on the strong wind. The owl perched beside Jonathan on the railing, ruffling it's large black feathers a few times. The God's big yellow eyes glanced at Jonathan before looking back out at the city.

"Evan...I need to talk to you." The owl looked up at him again for a moment before shadows began to swirl around him. Black feathers turned into red leather and soft black hair. Yellow eyes became a warm soft hazel. Evan now stood beside Jonathan, a look of wonder across his face as he looked at the fading sunlight. A cluster of feathers still stuck to his skin but he didn't bother to pluck them. He was too captivated by the way the sunlight was reflected off the broken glass on the buildings and the colours in the sky above them. Brian had given him the day and every part of it was stunning to Evan but he noticed that it was nothing to the others. It bothered him that they weren't appreciating the beauty of the world around them; they wanted to destroy it.

"I still can't get over how beautiful it is." Evan smiled, forcing away the bad thoughts. Brain didn't want him thinking like that. "You never told me how beautiful it was, Jonathan. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because the day isn't for you, Nyx. You are for the night. For the stars and the lovers and the people who are sad so you can show them beauty in the dark. We can still stop this, Evan. We can fix it. Just snap out of this fucking trance! Please." Jonathan's voice broke. Evan stared at him, his face seemingly blank. "Come back, Evan. Come back."

"Come back to what, Jonathan?" Evan suddenly demanded, anger welling up in him. "Come back to darkness? To a miserable existence? I'm actually something now, Jonathan! I'm not some submissive quiet God anymore! I have power! I have light!" Evan's voice got louder and louder as he spoke. His hands began to shake, the sky darkening faster above them. "I am not nothing anymore and I will not let you make me nothing again!" Jonathan suddenly flew back, falling onto the hard cement roof. He winced in pain, blood dripping from his cut open knee through the tear in his knee. Evan's gaze softened, a feeling of guilt washing over him as he saw the blood dripping onto the pavement. "Jonathan...Jon...I'm sorry." He stumbled towards him, kneeling at his side. He pressed his hand against Jonathan's bleeding knee, healing the wound. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you. I just need you to understand that this world now is perfect. The day is a gift and it has been taken for granted. I can't let that happen anymore. We have each other and we have the world. We are almighty." Evan had never said these words before. They tasted strange; they tasted poisonous. Jonathan looked disturbed.

"You aren't yourself right now. You have to snap out if this, Evan. Please. Fix this." Jonathan begged.

"I feel more like myself than I have ever felt. This what I am meant to be and I have Abellio to thank for it. He set me free. Be free, Nemesis." Evan smiled, his eyes wide like an owl's. Jonathan pushed him off, spitting at him.

"How can you say those things? How can you act like this? It's disgusting, Nyx! How dare you call yourself a God?" Jonathan yelled, getting to his feet as he stared down at the Primordial. "How dare you?"

"Because I can! Because I can do whatever I want! Because I can destroy you and every other God but I don't want to. Abellio knows that. You know that." Evan snarled as he got up, his palm covered with Jonathan's blood.

"You aren't in control. Brian is. You're his pet. You do whatever he asks. He wants you to kill mortals for no reason other than scaring the others and you do it. You aren't in control!" Jonathan shot back. "You can't do anything. He just makes you think you can. He's in your head! He's making you say these things!" Evan was silent for a few moments, a smile almost as wide as his Shadows' spreading across his face.

"You're jealous."

"Excuse me?" Jonathan stammered.

"You're jealous. Of me and the attention that Brian gives me. I know what people say about you. I know what you feel for me. I know that people think you are obsessed with me." Evan laughed, glancing away like a blushing schoolgirl. Jonathan's hands curled into fists, tears welling in his eyes. "You are jealous of my power too! I don't need weapons like you do." Evan smiled as he looked back at his friend. "You are full of jealousy!" Despite denying it, despite pretending that nothing was wrong, he knew that Jonathan was right. He felt so in control but at the same time none of it was his. Strings were tied around his wrists and ankles, forcing him to dance exactly how Brian wanted. He could pull at them and refuse as much as he wanted but he knew Jonathan was right.

"Me? I'm jealous?" Jonathan spluttered. He began to laugh before suddenly shoving Evan towards the roof's railing. "Why won't you snap out of this?" He raised his fist, swinging at Evan who blocked the blow by grabbing onto his wrist and twisting it around. Jonathan cried out in pain, his wide eyes locked on Evan who aimed a sharp kick to his stomach, the force throwing him back. "Evan! Stop!" He dodged Evan's punch, able to hit him back as he pulled himself up.

"You are useless for not believing in this cause! You are a useless God!" Evan screamed though the words were not his. He swung at Jonathan who grabbed onto his arm, pulling him closer and gripped his collar. Evan choked as Jonathan spun him around, pinning him to the railing.

"You don't believe in it!" Jonathan yelled, tightening his grip on Evan's collar. He saw Jonathan's eyes glance at the street far below, making him smile again.

"You won't do it. You care too much." Evan snapped. "You will always be useless!" Narrowing his eyes, Jonathan suddenly shoved Evan backwards, sending him over the railing. The air whipped around Evan, pulling at his red jacket and hair. Neon lights flashed past him. The ground was rushing up to meet him. A part of him wanted to meet it too but the strings pulled and he found himself in a flurry of shadows and feathers. His wings caught the cool evening air and sent him upwards into the darkening sky. He flew over the roof, seeing Jonathan watching him with wide eyes. He spun and dove towards the God of Revenge, his talons stretching out to grab onto him. Jonathan fell to the roof as Evan tackled him, shadows swirling around him as feathers disappeared. Letting out a yell of rage, Jonathan threw Evan off.

"Don't ever call me useless! I am something!" Jonathan screamed, his eyes flashing red. Evan smiled; this was what he wanted; it was what Brian wanted. He wanted to unleash the anger inside of his friend. He wanted to make him let go and let his power consume him after all this time. In a flash of silver, knives appeared in Jonathan's hands as he lunged at Evan who jumped back, a wall of darkness surrounding him. "Fight me! Fight me!" Jonathan screamed, hitting the wall that Evan had created. He watched with a smile as Jonathan broke through the Shadows that shattered like glass around them. Evan let out a gasp as Jonathan's hand curled around his throat, pushing him back to the wall. The air was choked out of his lungs, an overwhelming feeling of guilt consuming him. He wasn't sure why he felt this way but he knew it had something to do with the God of Revenge. He gripped into Jonathan's wrists as he raised him into the air, his feet kicking as he struggled to breathe, gasping as tears of pain fell from his eyes. "I am something, Nyx!" Jonathan snarled, his red eyes locked onto Evan's.

"That's enough." Brian's voice suddenly called out. Jonathan dropped Evan to the cement, his eyes flashing red as he turned to look at the God of the Apple Tree. The Celtic God tossed a red apple from hand to hand, smiling at them. Evan watched with wide eyes, a longing for it filling him as he heaved for air, feeling bruises on his throat that matched Jonathan's hand. "Why were you fighting?"

"N-No reason." Evan lied, keeping his eyes on the apple. He didn't notice Jonathan shoot him a glare as he managed to push himself to his feet.

"I don't allow fighting among my Gods. I can't risk you getting hurt. I need you." Brian reminded them. Jonathan wasn't listening but Evan nodded, wrapped up in the trance that had been put over him. The harsh sound of yelling from the street below suddenly caught their attention. Brian brushed past Evan, tossing him the apple as he went and peered over the railing to the street below. Evan didn't pay any attention, biting into the sweet apple. Jonathan looked disgusted as he watched the smile grow on Evan's face as he tasted the apple. "Come on. We don't have time to waste tonight." Brian headed back to the stairs, leaving Evan and Jonathan alone on the roof.

"Evan." The God of Revenge stopped him when he started towards the stairs. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"You didn't." Evan smiled as he bit into the apple and headed down the stairs, forcing Jonathan to follow. He felt powerful. The feeling made him feel like he was floating through the world. It made him feel like nothing mattered. With help from Brian, he no longer disappeared during the day. He didn't sleep anymore and he didn't want to despite the feeling of exhaustion that had begun to creep in on him.

On the floor below, the other Gods watched them enter with smug expressions that told them they knew about the fight. The door to the old apartment suddenly crashed open as Marcel dragged a swearing Greek God into the room.

"You killed him! You fucking killed him!" The God screamed as Marcel threw him to the floor at Brian's feet. Evan recognized the God, a part of him breaking through the heavy trance that held him. He knelt in front of the God, meeting his anguished gaze.

"Anthony…" Evan stammered.

"What are you doing here?" The God of Gentle Death grabbed onto Evan's arm. He started to answer but the strings pulled and he found himself going silent as he got to his feet, throwing Anthony's hand off him. "You're on their side? You're a fucking disgrace! None of you should be calling yourselves Gods! You killed Cody!"

"It was necessary. Not all of us were created with such great powers, Thanatos." Brian snapped as he stepped forward. Evan's chest tightened as he thought about Cody's death, wondering what exactly Brian did. It hadn't occurred to him till now that it should be impossible for such a simple God to have so much power; enough to put him in a trance.

"Taking a life should never be necessary!" Anthony yelled back. Evan was shocked; he had never seen him so angry before. He remembered him a gentle God, one that never raised his voice or got violent in any way.

"Maybe in the old world...But in this world that you will help us create, blood will be necessary. You will help us, Anthony. You should be excited about this!" Brian knelt in front of him, a bright smile on his face. Anthony spit at him. Brian rose to his feet and the strings pulled on Evan who suddenly stepped forward, kicking Anthony hard in the ribs as he ignores Jonathan's protests. The God of Gentle Death cried out in pain as Shadows grew in the corners of the darkened room, slithering on the walls and the floor towards him. Evan wasn't in control of himself and he couldn't fight it as much as he wanted to. He couldn't hurt Anthony who had been his friend ever since the creation of life. He had been there to help bring him back when he lost control. Jonathan was right, he is Brian's pet and he hated it. As he was forced to create more Shadows, he hated Brian more and more for making him do this. He is a Primordial God, not a young, stupid God like the others.

"No! Stop! " Anthony screamed as the Shadows got closer to him, their eyes flashing red with excitement at the idea of spilled blood. "What do you want?" The Shadows retreated to the edges of the room as Brian knelt once more beside him.

"We need you to agree to help us. We need your word." Brian said gently. Anthony stared at him with wide eyes, unable to say a word. Jonathan moved closer to Evan, his mask pulled over his face to hide the look of fear in his eyes. His rage had ebbed, leaving him feeling weak. Evan pretended that he didn't notice but he also took a step towards Jonathan, finding some comfort in knowing that he was still there despite what he had done and and what he continued to do.

"For what?" Anthony spat. Brian didn't answer. Evan's strings pulled and the Shadows flared up, their wide smiles glinting in the dim light. Anthony screamed as they swarmed towards him, scrambling backwards into a corner.

"Evan stop it! You know him!" Jonathan shoved Evan harshly. Shooting a glare at Brian, Evan felt the trance weaken and crack. The Shadows faded, their smiles upside down in disappointment.

"I can't do this." Evan stated, glancing at Anthony and wondered if he would ever forgive him.

"Weak." Marcel laughed.

"He isn't good enough, Brian." Craig snapped.

"Nyx just isn't strong enough anymore. We told you, Brian but you didn't listen." Daithi added.

"Ares would have been better but no. We got these two." Lui rolled his eyes.

"Useless. We're doomed." Arlan sighed.

"Shut up!" Brian yelled. The strings pulled but Evan refused to listen. He held Jonathan's gaze, reaching for his hand when a sudden pain overwhelmed him. He coughed, covering his mouth with his free hand. When he looked down at his palm he saw black poison. He gasped as he coughed again, tasting blood in his mouth.

"Evan!" Jonathan cried as the Night God fell into his arms, choking on the poison. He coughed blood and poison onto Jonathan's hoodie as hs lowered him to the floor, his eyes wide with terror and pain. "Brian please! Stop!" Jonathan yelled, as he clung to Evan who choked and shook from the pain. Thinking that he had been forgotten, Anthony scrambled to his feet and ran towards the door only to be stopped by Lui, a strong rush of wind throwing him down to the floor. Evan could barely focus on what was going on. Everything seemed so chaotic and sudden, but as the his vision blurred and pain overwhelmed him, he couldn't think of anything else.

"Marcel, Lui. Get Nyx outside. We don't need him for this." Evan faintly heard Brian's order and Jonathan's scream of rage as Evan was pulled from his arms. He fell to the floor, struggling for the air as he was suddenly dragged to his feet and pushed out into the hallway. He gasped, spitting blood and poison to the floor as he gasped for air.

"Jonathan stop!" Marcel crashed into the wall beside Evan, blood dripping from his broken nose. Jonathan's eyes flashed red as he stepped forward, his hands curled into fists. Evan could only watch through tears as Lui tackled Jonathan to the floor as Marcel grabbed onto his shoulder and pushed him towards the stairs. He stumbled down them, leaning heavily on the railing as he tried to focus on healing himself but there was so much going on that he couldn't. He kept thinking about Anthony and what they would do to him and what was going to happen to himself if he didn't start fighting back.

The front door was pushed open as Marcel shoved him forward, unable to stop himself from falling to his knees on the sidewalk. "I never would have you join us." Marcel said as Lui threw Jonathan down beside him. Evan couldn't tell if what Marcel said was kind or not. For the sake of his own sanity, he decided it was kindness.

"What are they doing to him?" Jonathan cried as he scrambled towards Evan, pulling him into his arms. "What are they doing to Anthony?" He didn't get an answer. Evan felt a rush of warmth as Jonathan began to heal him, the pain fading away. "It's okay...It's okay."

"I got you into this mess...I'm sorry, Jon." Evan breathed, wiping the blood and poison from his face with his sleeve. Jonathan shook his head with a smile.

"Even if you didn't, I would still be here to protect you " He whispered so Marcel and Lui wouldn't hear. Evan smiled but it wavered as he looked back up at the window where he could faintly make out Brian standing there.

"They don't deserve it." Evan whispered, moving away from Jonathan. He sat on the curb, watching the empty street with sad eyes.

"What do you mean?" Jonathan wondered. Evan didn't answer, only staring at the night sky above him. He had loved it once. He had thought seeing the wide universe above his bruised and tattered planet was beautiful and awe inspiring once. There were more Gods like him out there, among the first like him but they had faded away as new Gods replaced them, leaving him alone to float through the universe on a rock too small for the countless Gods that clung to it, all claiming it was theirs.

The mortal life didn't seem much better. Their natural instinct was violence, to fight or run from things they did not understand. Evan came from space, from the great power that created the universe. Inside of him was the night; he is full of stars and darkness darker than anything else in the universe. He was not created in the mind of a human philosopher or storyteller like the others. They did not deserve the beauty of the night that he had given them.

"No one deserves it…" Evan whispered, lowering his gaze to the younger God. "Day and night...No one deserves it."

"What are you saying? Evan, what's wrong? Tell me!" Jonathan reached for his hand but Evan pulled it away. He didn't want comfort. He didn't want kindness. "What you do mean...No one deserves it?" Evan wanted him to stop talking. He wanted everything to stop and to leave him in nothingness. He could feel his control over himself slipping away as the anger inside of him grew and he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with any damage if he caused it; the out of control part of him didn't care. The more the strings of the trance Brain had put on him pulled, the more angry he became with everything and everyone. Maybe he wouldn't care as much as he thought he would. "You're scaring me, Evan." Jonathan whispered as he stared at the Night God with fearful eyes. Evan couldn't meet his gaze, keeping his eyes on the pavement.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, Jonathan."

"You didn't, Evan! None of those things you did was you." Jonathan gave him a reassuring smile. Evan was glad that he didn't understand. "I'm sorry I threw you off the roof and choked you. You should be upset about that."

"No. I know you don't forgive me. I know you hate me right now. You think I'm possessed. I'm not the person you knew before...Maybe I've always been this way just kept hidden away and Brian just happened to set me free." Evan laughed.

"Don't talk like that. You aren't cruel! You're a kind God! Think about the beautiful night sky! You put so much effort into making it beautiful for the people who need it to be. That's who you are." Jonathan cried, not caring about Marcel and Lui hearing anymore.

"I haven't loved the night for a long time, Jonathan." Evan spat, leaving him at a loss for words.

"But you have to…"

"Do you love revenge? Do you love the feeling of hot blood on your hands and the screams ringing in your ears?" Evan turned his head sharply to look at the God of Revenge who was surprised by the question.

"Evan...I-"

"Answer the question."

"Not always. Maybe if the person really did deserve it then I enjoy it but…" Jonathan trailed off, realising that Evan had got him to say what he wanted. Satisfied that Jonathan now understood, he looked away from him, his eyes scanning the empty, neon lit street. They weren't in the best part of L.A. but it didn't matter to them. Brian had said that soon every part would be the best part.

A sudden rumble shook the streets, the street lamps and neon signs flickering aggressively before plunging the street into darkness. While Evan felt safe, the other Gods panicked, squinting through the darkness to see what was happening.

"What did Brian do?" Marcel cried, looking up at the window as a bright flash of light shone through it. The ground beneath their feet shook again more fiercely, sending anything lose above them crashing to the pavement. They ducked for cover as glass shattered from windows, raining down on the street in sharp, glittering shards. The pavement began to suddenly crack and split as the earth's surface split to welcome the monsters below to the world above.

"No...He didn't…" Jonathan stammered.

"He did." Evan smiled. Clawed, skeletal hands broke through the surface. The monsters pulled themselves through the cracks in the earth, their horns and claws glinting in the flickering lights, their teeth barred and dripping with saliva. These were the monsters from the dawn of time, made from the chaos that had created Evan and the other Primordial Gods. Brian had unleashed the underworld on the world of the mortals.

In a flurry of feathers and shadows, Evan took off into the night sky as a another, stronger shock wave brought down unstable buildings and ripped open more cracks in the earth's surface. With the monsters came the heat of the hellish world below. Hot wind pulled at the owl's feathers, and smoke clouded the sky. The sounds of chaos, the sounds of Hell echoed up to him from the streets below.

This world was his for the taking. Evan couldn't wait to cut the strings and to take back what they did not deserve.


	8. Chapter 8

It had happened without warning. Even if there had been a warning, nothing could have prepared them for this. Glasses and bottles had been shaken off counters, smashing to the floor as the Gods ran to the windows and saw the already crumbling world, break apart to let out the monsters that the Gods had thought were locked away forever.

"This is the end…" Brock whispered, watching the destruction with wide eyes through the window that threatened to crack after each shock wave.

"No...It can't be. There must be a way to fix it." Tyler insisted, turning away from the window.

"Do you think that Evan did this?" Brock asked, moving back to the lounge bar where he searched for an unbroken bottle. Tyler thought about what he had seen happen to Evan at the diner and his own past memories of Evan. He remembered times when Evan seemed to snap and twist the darkness around them and how he could choke the life from someone.

"No...He'd do much worse." Tyler sighed. "This was Abellio, that Apple God." He spat, glancing back out the window. He could have sworn that he saw a great horned owl flying through the smoke in the distance but he told himself it was just his imagination. "We should find the other Gods we have on our side. We can't lose them."

"But shouldn't we wait for Athena? She told us that we have to wait till Evan breaks...It's dangerous out there." Brock gestured to the window and the destruction just on the other side of shaking glass. Tyler followed his gaze, watching the smoke rising into the orange coloured sky.

"We have to make sure they are okay, Brock!" Tyler said pointedly. "We'll be alone without them."

"You could die out there, Tyler!"

"You're right… Which is why you are coming with me. I'm not leaving you here." Tyler insisted, grabbing his suit jacket off the back of the couch. Brock sighed, giving up his search for a strong drink and followed the God of War downstairs.

"It's not safe out there, Tyler!"

"I know that, Brock. Which is why you aren't staying."

"Is it not safe here? Isn't it important in war to make sure that your fort is safe?" Brock cried, stopping at the front door. Tyler sighed, turning to look back at him.

"No! It isn't safe here. If Brian can get in our heads than nowhere is safe no matter what we do, no matter how much we hold down our fort. You are coming with me so shut up and move." Tyler snapped. Brock sighed again and reluctantly followed Tyler out onto the street, making sure to close the club door behind him as if it could protect his home.

"I'm not a fighter like you. I don't have any violent powers. I never had to adapt to violence...I wasn't created for the war; I was created for the victory." Brock rambled, looking around the cracked and torn apart street. The world they knew had fallen apart. Tyler held out his empty hand and when Brock locked down, pieces of metal and gunpowder coming together to create a gun in his palm.

"You're lucky humans have adapted to violence." Tyler said with a small smile, offering the weapon to him. With a sigh, Brock took it and was surprised by the weight of it. The two Gods hurried across the empty street and pressed themselves against a wall as Tyler peered around the next corner. A tall bloody creature paced the street, it's eyes glowing red in the dim, flickering light from the broken street lamps.

"Are we going to find Athena?" Brock whispered. Tyler shook his head as he moved around the corner as silently as possible. Brock again reluctantly followed his fear filled eyes on the monster. Blood dripped from its teeth and claws. A few clawed up and bitten mortal bodies littered the streets and Brock did his best not to look at them. He had always loved humans and it pained him to see their deaths.

"No...She'll be fine. She's with Chronos. We need to find Sydney." Tyler glanced back at him as a gun manifested in his hands, his grip tightening on the cold metal as he moved forward, keeping his eyes on the tall monster. "Stay down. It's best to not be slowed down by healing ourselves right now." Tyler warned. Brock nodded, avoiding any rubble on the ground as he moved along the broken sidewalk.

"Are you scared, Tyler?" Brock whispered, reaching for his arm. Tyler stopped, holding his gaze on the monster before meeting Brock's. "Not just of the monsters but of everything. Are you scared that this world is...is done for? What will we do if the world is destroyed? Where do we go in this universe? Do we find a new home and new mortals to worship us? I know Evan is from space so it's no problem for him but what about us…"

"That won't happen. We'll get this world back to the way it was. No more monsters. Okay?" Tyler tried to give him a smile but there wasn't much hope that he could give him. He had the same questions that Brock had but he'd never say them aloud. He'd never allow himself that, to appear weak and scared in front of people that he had to be hopeful for. "This is our world and we have created it for everyone. No one can take it away. Everyone deserves it." Brock nodded, glancing nervously at the monster that had begun to sniff the air, sensing the Gods near it.

Tyler lead the way, hurrying away from the monster and down the street but their silence wasn't enough. A roar suddenly echoed down at the street as clawed feet ran after them, crushing bodies and rubble underfoot.

"Run! Don't stop!" Brock yelled when Tyler suddenly stopped and turned, aiming his gun at the monster. The loud gunshot echoed in Tyler's ears as he pulled the trigger. The monster's pained shriek sounded ear-splitting but that didn't stop it from running at them. Tyler threw the gun down as he curled his other hand around a larger rifle and aimed it at the monster. "Tyler! There are more!" Brock screamed in terror. He turned to look over his shoulder to see the red coloured monster, it's black eyes locked on the Gods.

"Shoot it! Aim for the head!" Tyler instructed. "It'll slow it down! Shoot it!" With more reluctance, Brock pulled the trigger, hearing the monster's pained shriek follow the crack of the gun. Tyler grabbed onto his wrist, pulling him with him down the street, narrowly dodging the claws of the wounded monster that Brock had shot. They found themselves in a dead end, more monsters drawn to them by the noise their guns and now blocked the way out. "Shit...Shit shit shit! I'm sorry, Brock…" Tyler stammered, doing his best to stay calm.

"We can fight out of this... can't we?" Brock asked calmly but his eyes gave away his terror. Tyler nodded, pieces of metal and gunpowder floating around his hand to create another gun for Brock that he handed to him. Tossing his gun away, Tyler replaced it with a sword. He felt more comfortable with it. He had been created by a sword and he would die by a sword.

The monsters found them and ran at them full speed, their claws outstretched and teeth snapping. They reminded Tyler of Evan's Shadows but they had far less grace. He swung his sword at the closest one, hot black blood splattering onto his suit as he spun with all the elegance of an ancient soldier and lunged at the next one. The sounds of gunshots and monstrous shrieks rang in Tyler's ears leaving him feeling dizzy. He wasn't as good at this as he used to be.

"There are too many!" Brock yelled, finding himself back to back with the God of War. "We can't get through all of them." In a lapse of judgement, Tyler held his arm out to block the claws of one of the monsters only to have them tear through his sleeve into flesh. Tyler screamed in pain, falling back against Brock who shot the monster in the head but it wasn't enough to stop it. The monster clawed at Brock, cutting his wrist open and forced him to drop the gun to the bloody pavement. The two Gods held on to each other, feeling fear and death coming for them.

Among the screams, a soft ping sounded deafening. Tyler's eyes went down to the grenade that had landed at his feet. Tyler didn't know where it had come from, wondering for a moment if he had created it in a one last ditch effort to possibly save themselves but he knew he didn't. He wondered if this was a miracle sent for them. Death or life, it didn't matter much to him anymore in this moment.

Either way, he wrapped his arms around Brock, pulling him back towards the brick wall behind them. He pinned him there, iron and gold wrapping his wrist to create a shield that he hadn't used in hundreds of years. The grenade exploded, black blood and sparks flying through the hot air. The monsters shrieked as shrapnel rained on them, glass from the windows above shattering and falling on them.

The sudden sound of gunshots made them jump. Through the smoke, a figure in a blue hoodie moved quickly to dodge a monster's bite, his eyes flashing red as he shot the monster only to turn and stab another with a dagger. Jonathan ran towards them, pushing the shield aside to pull Tyler and Brock to their feet. They didn't ask their burning questions, only able to sprint after him. It was only till they were far from that bloody street that they stopped to catch their breath.

"What are you doing here, Jonathan?" Brock stammered, struggling to catch his breath. Jonathan was watching the street as the red faded from his eyes. He glanced at the two of them for just a moment before looking away again with a guilty expression. "Jonathan…?"

"I made a mistake...I'm sorry." Jonathan suddenly broke into tears. It seemed as though he had been holding it in forever the way the tears spilled from his eyes.

"What mistake? Where is Evan? What happened to him?" Tyler demanded, stepping towards him. Jonathan backed away, keeping his eyes down on the broken pavement.

"Brian has him so wrapped around his finger...He'll do whatever he asks. He's so...So just wrapped up in his own mind and the fantasies that Brian has put in there. I'm so scared that it might make him snap. He was saying such horrible things!" Jonathan stumbled over the words, looking up at Tyler. "I feel so guilty...I can't help him alone. I need your help!"

"We can't help him until he snaps, Jonathan." Tyler sighed.

"What? Why?" Jonathan yelled, his eyes widening with rage. "Why?"

"Athena said it's the only way to stop all of this! We can get our world back and...and save Evan." Tyler said but he knew that Jonathan wouldn't believe him. He didn't believe himself.

"Fuck that! I won't let you kill him!"

"Stop being selfish! Stop thinking about just what you want! Mortals are dying! Gods are dying! We have to do what we have to do. You know that if Evan snaps, he will want that too. He won't want you to find another way. He'll want the only way." Tyler explained, narrowing his eyes on the God of Revenge. "Evan isn't just yours, Jonathan." Tyler said softly. He had been wanting to say those words for what felt like forever but he never had the chance to say them. He couldn't help but be jealous of Jonathan's obsession with the Night God and how Evan would give him that small smile. He used to get that smile. He knew Evan first; he understood him better.

"I know that, Ares." Jonathan spat.

"Do you?" Tyler shot back.

"Stop it. We have to find Sydney. That's what we are risking our lives for right now when we could be back at the club safe and sound. Join us or not, Jonathan but we have important things to do." Brock suddenly chimed in, annoyance heavy in his tone. He didn't want to be out here. He rarely left the club since the nineties. He had felt there was no more need for him in the world so Brock had shut himself away. His followers could find him if they wanted him that bad.

"Why? Can't she take care of herself?" Jonathan snapped. A sudden surge of aggressive energy full of threats, fists and blood surrounded the God whose gaze shifted to the God of War who seemed to be bristling with rage.

"You joined Brian! He has everyone! We need her! You've spent too much time around cruelty, Nemesis." Tyler snarled. With that, he spun on his polished shoe heel and continued down the street. Brock and Jonathan watched as metal and gunpowder whirled around the War God to create a gun that he held on to so tightly his knuckles turned white. Brock followed, leaving Jonathan with guilt and anger brewing inside of him. He finally followed despite hating everything that Tyler had said to him. He couldn't kill Evan. He couldn't let that happen to him. Above all, he couldn't let Evan lose himself. Tyler was thinking the same things but he told himself that it was selfish to. This world wasn't the God's anymore and it had to stay that way.

A monster turned the corner, talons clicking on the cracked pavement. It's dark eyes landed on the God of War and it began to ran towards him. He raised his gun and emptied it's bullets into the monster's bloodied head. He felt rage burning inside of him as he threw the now useless gun down and created another. He glanced back at Jonathan and Brock who followed him with nervous expressions. He felt angry at Jonathan for leaving Evan behind, for abandoning him with Brian. He wanted to help Evan and he couldn't even take him with him when he ran away like a coward. To the God of War, revenge had always seemed cowardly. He remembered when he would try to challenge Jonathan, believing his own powers to be greater, more courageous than his.

"You had let what hurt you happen...And only now you are angry when you should have been before the evil was done to it.." Tyler had once said to Jonathan over dinner in London. The year had been eighteen seventy two, and the Gods had only now begun to spread across the world knowing they were no longer worshipped. They had accepted normal, mortal life while still being immortal. "Revenge seems pointless if you ask me."

"That's because you are only used to action first. You claim your wars stop any future conflicts but I think they just lead to me. War makes people angry. Makes them into monsters." Jonathan had said, taking a sip from his dark wine.

"War doesn't make everyone into monsters, Jonathan." Athena had said gently, jewels glittering among the curls of her hair and folds of her gown. "There are so many cogs in the machine that is war. One can argue that the only monsters are the people who make the orders, the machine."

"I think everyone has a monster in them. Doesn't matter if there is a war or not." The attention turned to the other end of the decadent table where Nyx sat, stars twinkling like Athena's jewels in the darkness of his suit. He met their gaze and leaned back in his chair, setting his fork and knife down. "We all like the feeling of power. Mortals do too. We get a chance to be powerful, to win, of course we'll take it. That power unleashes the monster inside of us. In a sober mind, one wouldn't slit another's throat just to make an impression, just to show off one's power...But in a mind clouded by power, that same person would do just that. Sometimes the only way to control it is to kill the monster inside of you." Nyx explained, his morbid thought making even Nemesis uncomfortable.

"Well...On the bright side there has been no need for such power both among Gods and humans." Ares had said, trying to lighten the mood. He raised his wine glass for a toast. "Here's to praying it will remain that way."

The soft sounds of chiming glass and the sparkle of jewels and stars faded back into Tyler's long and worn out memory as he found himself back in the present and the ruin that surrounded them. How foolish they had all been to think that peace could have remained; there was always a need for power. Within fifty years the world was ravaged by the first of the World Wars and all beauty was destroyed with it. Now it was happening again but with the Gods.

"I think he's exhausted...Brain won't let him sleep during the day." Tyler heard Jonathan say to Brock. He turned, glancing at Jonathan as they caught up to him.

"That's where he goes during the day when he disappears? To sleep?" Brock asked. Jonathan nodded. "Oh…Where does he go?"

"I don't know. I don't think anyone but Evan knows." Jonathan shrugged.

"Do you think that exhaustion could make him snap, Jon?" Tyler asked. To him, it wasn't important where he went; it was why.

"I think being tired and stressed out could make anyone snap." Jonathan said pointedly. "I don't know why Evan would stay awake though besides Brian's trance."

"Because of the day." Tyler sighed. "You give a blind man sight and he'll want to see everything." The Gods walked in silence, the sky above them orange and filled with smoke, the sounds of screams both human and inhuman echoing among the towering buildings that crumbled around them.

A sudden screech echoed in their ears, the sound of forceful, pounding wings coming towards them. They turned in time to duck from the owl that flew at them, sharp black talons outstretched. Metal swirled around them to create the shield on Tyler's arm as he pulled Jonathan and Brock under it. The Night God's talons struck the shield, sparks flying around them. Pushing up with the shield, Tyler knocked the owl from the air. In a flurry of feathers and stars, the Night God tumbled to the cracked pavement.

"Evan!" Brock cried, starting toward him only to be stopped by Tyler.

"Evan...Stay. Stay here. Don't go." Tyler said softly, meeting the owl's large yellow eyes. The Night God hesitated before seeming to be pulled by something and took off into the sky, his strong wings pounding the air furiously.

"Let's go. He's going to tell Brian where we are." Jonathan said quietly and continued on at a quicker pace.

"How do you know?"

"Brian's got him in a trance, Tyler. He can make him do anything he wants." Jonathan reminded him, glancing over his shoulder at him before continuing down the street, giving the others no choice but to hurry after him.

The painful night turned into day but no one would be able to tell. Tyler assumed it was early morning by the time they reached the Flower Goddess' home. A palm tree had fallen through the greenhouse in the back, leaving behind behind a shattered mess of broken pots, torn flowers and glass.

"Sydney?" Tyler called out as they approached the shattered greenhouse. A small cry answered him, urging him to sprint towards it. With help from Brock and Jonathan, they pulled back panels of glass and bits of wood to find the Goddess trapped below, bruised and cut by pieces of glass. Beside her lay the wilted sunflower, it's petals pulled of and the stem broken in half. The God of War wrapped the Flower Goddess in his arms, gently lifting her out of the wreckage.

"Are you alright? Is there anything you can't heal yourself?" Brock asked as Tyler set her down on the soft grass. She shook her head, wiping the blood and cut from her cheek.

"W-What happened? Why is hell on earth?" She stammered, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"Those Gods took over the earth and they have Evan…" Jonathan explained. She stared around them with wide eyes that landed on her broken and dying flowers and began to cry. Tyler realized as her shoulders began to shake with sobs that he wanted to cry too. He wanted to lay down on the grass, cry and never get up again. The boys pulled her into a hug as she cried, leaning against them heavily.

"They destroyed my flowers...My flowers...they are my life!" She sobbed, looking at the broken pots and stems. "Are they going to destroy Evan too?"

"No...No they won't...They won't do that but they will hurt this world if it continues and we need your help." Tyler said softly. "We got caught on our way here and we need move or we'll be in trouble going back." He said gently. She nodded slowly, letting him take her hand and help her up. The group of Gods hurried towards the street, watching out for monsters or other Gods. Tyler wished that he could see the bright warmth of day but there was none. The sunlight was hidden away by smoke. Tyler kept watching, fearing for when they got into town where more of the monsters were and where Evan was. He didn't want to be scared of Evan but he could help but remembering the times when Evan's thinking and the way he carried himself scared Tyler. He had never been able to put it into words like Kelly had.

"He speaks like a King." Athena had whispered to him that night in eighteen seventy two. The ballroom's chandeliers glittered like those gathered below. Music swelled and dancers spun. The two war Gods watched the Night God with the young Flower goddess who smiled at him as brightly as the flowers in her curls. "He acts like one too." Athena added with a sly smile." He always talks about being something. He had his opportunity. He had his crown...It's possible he still thinks he has it." She snapped her fan open, waving it aggressively.

"No need to think like that. His philosophical thinking does remind us all about our nature. I'm sure that when he was a King of darkness he had plenty of time to think about what it means to be a God." Tyler had said. Later on he would regret such bitter words but at the time he was jealous just much as he was scared of him. Evan was always powerful whereas Tyler was only powerful when it mattered.

"It's making me feel guilty." Athena had sighed. "I think that Nyx is a sad King. His subjects are secluded and in the dark just as he is. There is no daylight in his kingdom. His sadness could make him terrifying. I'm sure you know what mad Kings are like."

"Yes and I don't want to stand over the shoulder of another mad King." Tyler said sharply, setting his glass down on a server's tray and offered his now free hand to her. "Shall we?" She smiled, snapping her fan shut and placed her gloved hand in his. He spun her onto the floor, her sparkling skirts swirling around them as they passed the Night God and the bright Flower Goddess who in time would find other people and things than each other to make themselves smile.

How beautiful everything had been then. The candles, the food, the clothes, the elegance in the air. Tyler decided now as he looked up at the broken skyscrapers that seemed to have snapped just like Sydney's flowers that after this, he would cherish every single beautiful thing he came across.

"How far are we?" Brock wondered, looking up at the broken skyscrapers. All of the usual landscapes, everything that they had known, was smoldering.

"Not far...A few blocks at most." Tyler answered, following the route he remembered in his mind when he would walk to the club. "It's not far." He reassured himself but he couldn't fight back the feeling that they were lost in all senses of the word.

"Well don't you all look like a mess." The feeling of being surrounded suddenly crashed onto Tyler and the others, filling them with dread. They were suddenly encircled by Brian and his followers who watched them with cruel smiles. Tyler turned to face Brian who also wore a smile and tossed a bright red apple from hand to hand. The sound of feathers above them caught their attention. They watched the owl land in a flurry of shadows and feathers that Evan stepped out of, plucking a single black feather from his wrist.

"What do you want?" Brock demanded but with some uncertainty. He had never dealt with these Gods besides Evan but had heard so much about them from the Gods that passed through his club. He knew about the door creating God and the trickster with the birdlike creatures and the Sun God. He knew about the Aztec version of himself and of the Wind God and of course he knew about the once lowly Apple God who had risen to be a very powerful leader.

"I thought that you would be a lot more relaxed, Dionysus." The Apple God said as he stepped towards them.

"I have a lot of reasons not to be relaxed right now."

"Well let me try to relax you. I am Abellio, God of the Apple Tree but you can call me Brian. And you must be the beautiful Flora. What a pleasure to finally meet you." Brian said, turning his attention to Sydney who narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't feel the same. Then his eyes moved to Jonathan, as if just noticing him now. "Jonathan...Did you leave us?" Tyler saw Evan's expression harden, a look of hurt flashing in his eyes. He knew he had just realised that he had been left behind.

"I can't do this anymore. I can kill people who don't deserve it, Brian." Jonathan said firmly. "I am the God of Revenge. Not death. You shouldn't have killed Thanatos if that was what you wanted." Tyler's eyes widened as shock overwhelmed him.

"Anthony?" He cried as he turned to look at Jonathan. "Anthony is dead?" Jonathan didn't answer him. He didn't have to for Tyler knew the answer by his expression.

"I thought that you were a capable God with use to me, Nemesis." Brian said, ignoring Tyler's outburst. "But no...You have disappointed me...And Evan." His last words hurt Jonathan who couldn't meet Evan's gaze.

"Are you going to kill us?" Tyler wondered. Everything was so lost, he wondered how much worse it could get. They were up against so many. He had tried to fight Craig and lost and he didn't even want to think about fighting Evan. Athena wasn't going to come save them. They were alone.

"I won't." Brian smiled. Brock let out a sigh of relief. "Evan will." Brock sucked his sigh back in behind Tyler, fear rippling among the outnumbered Gods. Evan stepped forward, shadows swirling around him.

"Evan wait. Stop. Don't listen to him!" Jonathan cried, pushing to the front of the group. "Don't d-" A sudden force threw Jonathan to the ground. Metal swirled around Tyler, creating a sword in his hand that he swung at Evan. Shadows in the shape of a sword stopped his blow, catching Tyler off guard. Evan lunged forward with his sword of shadows, forcing Tyler to jump backwards to avoid it's sharp edge.

Jonathan tripped Evan's feet out from under him, allowing Tyler the chance to try to pin him down. Evan's hand went to his throat, a burning pain making Tyler scream and fall off him. He landed harshly on the broken pavement, looking up at Evan as he got back up and hit Jonathan with the handle of his sword. Brock and Sydney had backed away, panicked and unable to help. They could only watch as Tyler managed to get back up, clutching his sword tightly. Evan spun back to him, his sword raised above his head.

"Stop...Please Evan. This isn't you. This isn't your world." Tyler stammered. Evan suddenly froze, his sword still raised above his head. Something in him seemed to break.

"The strings…" Jonathan spat blood on the pavement, watching Evan as he lowered the sword. "Cut the strings."

"You're right, Tyler. This isn't my world." Evan said slowly. Tyler nodded, slowly, reaching for Evan's hand. Evan looked down at his shaking hand and pulled his away, his eyes seeming to darken.

"It's ours, Evan...We can fix this. We can make it right." Tyler pleaded. Evan didn't move for a few moments but when he finally did, Brian looked terrified.

"I can hurt you, Nyx! You are mine!" Brian yelled as Evan began to move towards him.

"No one deserves this world. No one! No one deserves the day! You are all too cruel!" Evan snarled, evil dripping from his words. "I'm taking it back."

"Ev-" The Night God's hand curled around Brian's throat. Shadows swirled around them, their eyes red and glowing, their sharp smiles glinting in the orange, smoky light. Brian screamed, dropping the red apple to the pavement. Shadows seemed to ooze out of his mouth and eyes like the black poison he had used to hurt Evan. The Night God dropped the Apple God's body to the pavement, taking a deep breath as if he hadn't breathed fresh air before. His eyes had gone black, filled with stars and black holes. He bent and picked up the red apple, slowly turning to face the other Gods who had watched with horror as Evan had damned their leader.

Evan smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

_July 2nd, 1916_

 _Somme, France._

The sun had gone down on a bloody day. Despite the darkness, the gunshots and the canonfire did not stop. War doesn't care about the time of day.

The Night God stumbled through the mud with wide, tear filled eyes. Smoke swirled around him on the wind, burning his eyes and the pained screams echoed painfully in his ears, hurting his heart. There were no stars or moon in the sky and he desperately wished they were there with him so he wasn't alone on the bloody he stepped in a puddle, he could only pray it was mud and not mortal blood. There was no beauty, nothing in the night that sparkled. He had heard about such a painful battle starting the day before and he knew he had to tell Ares to make it stop. He couldn't stand for beauty and life being destroyed.

The Night God stared around him at the destruction, too captivated by the gore to notice the soldier on the white horse riding towards him. "Nyx...What are you doing here?" The soldier called out as Nyx finally noticed him. Ares dismounted from his horse and pulled him into a hug. "It's not safe here, you should go. Athena is back in London. Go to her."

"What is this? You said this war wouldn't be this horrible!" Nyx yelled suddenly, pushing Ares away. The War God looked surprised at his friend's outburst, struggling to find the right words to calm him. "It's hell! It's hell!" Nyx yelled. A sudden gunshot cracked through the air near them making Ares grab onto Nyx, throwing him down into the mud to protect him. "It's hell!" Nyx wailed as he landed in the mud, tears streaming from his eyes. Ares pulled him into his arms as he wailed like the wounded men around them. "Don't you care...Don't you care?"

"I do care, Nyx." The soldier answered.

"Then why did you let this happen? Why?" Nyx yelled. "You've slaughtered the beauty! This world was beautiful! This is your fault! Your fault!" He pushed Ares away, scrambling to his feet only to slip and fall again into the mud.

"Nyx...Please listen to me!" Ares sighed, getting up to help Nyx who pushed him away again. He refused to get up, only kneeling in the mud as he sobbed.

"No! You're a monster…"

"Nyx! Listen! These mortals...these humans are in control this time! Not me! I never saw this coming!" Ares yelled desperately. "Please don't be upset with me…When this is over, it'll be beautiful again. I promise." Nyx didn't want to listen to him. The mud soaked through his trousers and covered his hands. His fine black felt hat had fallen from his head and lay broken in the mud. His shoulders shook with sobs as tears fell from his eyes. Ares wrapped his arms around him, pulling him out the mud. "I promise, Nyx. The night and the world will be beautiful again." Nyx tried to dry his eyes and forced himself to nod despite not believing him. "Now go to London. Don't come back here. It's all going to be okay. I promise."

What lies. What false, disgusting lies. Evan stood at the railing, looking out over his city. His ruined city. He was sick of promises that couldn't be kept and the lies. He was sick of being told what to do and what to feel and what not to feel. He hadn't had freedom among his friends since they were created. It made him long for the silence and the darkness before them. Why did they have to break the silence? Why did they have to be so loud with their parties and their war and their extravagance? No wonder they were so easily replaced by the Romans.

He remembered how gallant Tyler had looked in his uniform; in every uniform he wore in every war. Of course he always picked the winning side's uniform which Evan thought was cruel. He shouldn't have picked sides. He knew he wouldn't have picked sides. Tyler had always been full of lies and false hope. That's all war was and all it ever would be.

He was surprised that Tyler was shocked when he did it, when he damned the Apple God. He should have known that was coming.

"Evan…" Tyler had breathed with wide eyes as Evan had smiled at the apple in his hand that started to rot in his hand, dripping poison to the broken pavement.

"How dare you?" Craig had yelled, running at him. Evan had held his free hand out and curled it into a fist. The God of Opportunity stopped, his eyes widening as Evan choked him.

"This is my world now. I'm going to return it to what it used to be before you all ruined it!" Evan had called out to the Gods gathered around him. "So you can join me and be guaranteed safety in this new world or you can be against me! If you are...You will fall." He had uncurled his hand, letting Craig fall, gasping for air.

"You can't do this, Evan!" Jonathan had cried, stepping forward. Evan smiled at his bravery.

"Yes I can. It's what is right, Jonathan. You don't deserve this world anymore. You have turned it into this!" He gestured to the rubble around him. "A bloody mess! And you still think you can call it yours!" Evan had laughed then. "You let those wars happen, Ares. Nemesis, you kill those who people tell you too. Flora and Dionysus...How useless you are. I could go on about all of you!"

"Please don't." Brock had spat.

"You're a mad king…" Tyler whispered. Evan met his wide eyed, horror-stricken gaze with a small smile.

"At least I'm a king." Evan liked them. Of course he did considering his history with them so he had let those four go, for now. When he dismissed them, Jonathan didn't waste any time in running away from him. Evan ignored the pain he had felt in his heart when Jonathan turned his back that only got worse when Tyler did too. A part of him had wished they would have stayed. He wished they understood how important it was for him to do this.

Now, standing at the railing, Evan thought about the great task at hand that faced him. Mortals would say that it's an impossible task to take so much in one night but he was no mere mortal. He would take it all in one night. He supposed that his actions could be compared to some of the great mortal generals of the world, so full of ambition. They wouldn't stop at anything and he wouldn't either.

"Evan…" He glanced over his shoulder to see Daithi and Marcel standing behind him. He turned to him, his dark eyes on the sky above him.

"I think the worst thing the Gods ever did was to think we were mortal. No one worships us anymore so we become mortal in every sense of the word except for death. We gave ourselves mortal names and tried to adopt their ways of living. I understand why Brian acted the way he did. I understand why he would want to make us worshipped again...But he wasn't thinking big enough. He wasn't willing to do what I will." Evan looked down from the sky to the Gods in front of him. "Will you join me?"

"We have nowhere else to go...and I personally don't want to fight a Primordial." Marcel said with a sigh.

"Neither do I." Daithi agreed. Evan smiled.

"You fought me before...or at least tried to." Evan pointed out.

"That wasn't us. That was Brian. He'd fight anything. He was full of himself and thought he was better. That's why he didn't see his death coming till it was right in his face." Daithi spat. "Good riddance."

"I agree. That is no way to change the world." Evan smiled.

"There is no need to change it." Behind Daithi and Marcel, Lui stood in the doorway to the staircase that led below, a golden dagger in his hand. "I dealt with Brian because I knew he wasn't going to be as successful as he thought he would be. I dealt with him because he was not nearly as wrapped in fantasies as you are!" Lui snarled. "You cannot take this world back and turn it into a dark hellhole."

"Please, Lui. There is no need for you to be so upset. It's better this way. The wind can blow as strongly as it wants now. No need to hold back." Evan said calmly. Lui shook his head.

"Why would you want to ruin this world? What have we done? What have humans done?" Lui cried. "Yes, I agreed that we could have had a world for the Gods but I never imagined this! What have we done?"

"I am old...or have you forgotten? I've watched this planet become a place for life, a miracle when it could have just been an oversized molten rock floating through the universe. I've watched life crawl out of the oceans and turn into humans that created you! And what have you done? Even when I ruled this world, I never saw so much blood. I never see why things happen, only the aftermath at night! Do you know what it is like to hear a soldier cry to the stars as his blood oozes out of his body? Do you know what it is like to see enough tears fall to fill an ocean? Do you know what it is like to see happiness for just one fleeting moment before it is crushed by the reality that you have created?" Evan yelled, shadows flying around him with bright red eyes. The Gods realised now why the their smiles were so sharp.

"It's not our fault!" Craig suddenly yelled from behind Lui. He pushed in front of the Wind God, his shaking hands curled into tight fists in an attempt to hide his fear. "You can't blame us for nature!"

"Nature?" Evan laughed. "This is not nature! What is natural about you? I am natural! I am a Primordial!"

"What about the kind Gods? The ones that never harm anyone! The ones that only want to bring beauty to the world! Aren't you one of them?" Craig cried, rage burning in his eyes. Evan stared at him, wondering how to answer. He was right but also wrong. He was one of those apparent 'kind' Gods but at the same time he wasn't.

"That's a grey line...I guess it depends on the type of day I'm having." Evan finally said. "I'm having a good day today though so you don't have anything to worry about."

"This is useless...He's stopped listening to us. " Lui whispered to Craig thinking that the Night God didn't hear.

"What is he listening to then?" Arlan, who had hidden by Daithi and Marcel from Evan's wrath, wondered aloud.

"Don't fight him." Daithi turned to them. "Your death is not worth it. It won't change a thing. It's safer to be with him."

"How are you so certain that I'll die? I fought Ares and won. You saw that." Craig boasted, glancing at Evan who watched them with interest. He wondered why they thought he was so wrong. He knew he was right in his actions. He sighed, turning away from them as he looked up at the sky. It wasn't dark enough yet for him to begin his great work.

"He was already weakened by me." Marcel pointed out but Craig ignored him. As he moved towards Evan, the golden dagger that had nearly killed him before appeared in his hand, his grip tightening on it's glowing handle. Lui joined him with his own golden dagger, both of them full of fury and confidence. Evan had expected this from Lui who had tried to kill him before but he was surprised by Craig. The God of Opportunity had mistaken a wall for another one of his doors.

Craig lunged forward, the golden dagger glinting in the dying light. He staggered, suddenly falling through shadows and landed on the hard cement where Evan had just been. The Night God appeared behind him with a disappointed sigh. He pulled Craig to his feet, shoving him against the roof's railing. Craig swung the blade at Evan only to be blocked, his wrist twisted painfully in Evan's grasp.

A sudden pain shot through Evan, his eyes widening as he gasped, letting go of the Roman God. He stared at Craig who smirked at him despite the pain that came from his broken wrist. Evan turned to see Lui behind him, his eyes full of rage. The golden dagger had been stabbed into his back, his blood dripping to the cement. He reached around to pull the dagger but his fingers slipped on the blood soaked handle. He staggered into the middle of the roof, surrounded by Gods he did not know. After all of this, was he going to die alone? Evan felt himself begin to fall. No, he thought. He would not die alone here. He had tried to forget about it, and what he had done in the past but he knew that he would never be killed by such a simple gold dagger. He couldn't forget it no matter how much he wanted to pretend he was normal.

The Night God burst into shadows that swirled around the roof, the dagger falling to the cement with an echo and a few splatters of blood. The God stared around them with wide eyes as the Shadows that danced around them, their red eyes glowing as bright as their sharp smiles. The Shadows came together to form the Night God, his eyes dark and his smile wide. He picked up the blade, taking a quiet step towards the two Gods.

"You are scared...It's makes you act irrationally." Evan sighed, twirling the dagger in his hand. "You know...I made a dagger like this once...It's not gold though. I'm not that kind of God. It's made out of the matter in space and the blood that flowed once here on Earth. If you really wanted to kill me that's what you should have instead of this toy." Evan smiled, tightening his grip on the dagger.

"Are you going to kill them?" Daithi asked, bravely moving towards the Night God who shook his head.

"No...I don't want to kill Gods for no reason." Evan glanced at the Sun God who nervously nodded.

"What will you do then?"

"I'm going to take the world." Evan's eyes went up to the sky that was finally dark enough. The stars shone through the smoke but there was no moon. He couldn't help but miss his dear friend and their philosophical conversations. She was the only one who understood loneliness like he did. He couldn't bare it alone so he decided that he would make everyone else understand.

The sky began to darken, shadows covering the stars and their beauty. It hurt Evan to see them go but it had to be done. Lights burst on the streets around them, plunging the world into complete and total darkness. The other Gods could only watch in horror as Shadows with sharp teeth and cruel eyes floated up through the cracks in the streets left by Brian's destruction. He had wanted this for so long and his opportunity had come for him finally. He wouldn't have to be alone in the dark anymore. No more fading away to sleep through the day. No more pity. No more loneliness.

Evan laughed with joy as the darkest night fell upon the earth. Shadows floated through the air, their eyes wide and their smiles as wide as the God of Night's. No one tried to stop him. No one could. Not even the two Gods who thought they could.

"No more…" Evan smiled, reaching for a small Shadow that floated around his hand lovingly. "No more loneliness."


	10. Chapter 10

"I remember the first time he shot a gun...He looked so scared about the mortal power in his hand." Tyler finished his strong drink and set it down on the cracked bar top. Brock refilled it and his own glass. "It scared him..I remember the smoke from that musket flying around him and he didn't know what had happened till he looked up...Now he's wielding his Primordial power like it ain't nothing!" Tyler cried drunkenly, slurring his words. "He's all grown up." He laughed. "And now he's going to kill us all…"

"Will you shut the fuck up?" Jonathan snarled from across the lounge. He leaned against the wall, his eyes glowing red with rage. "Stop talking about him!"

"Why? I thought you were obsessed with him? I guess you just don't like it when he doesn't pay any attention to you..." Tyler hiccuped. Jonathan let out a yell of anger, suddenly lunging towards him. Sydney stepped in front of him, a sudden calming energy descending over the room.

"Stop...He's drunk. It's not worth it." She said softly.

"He can't talk like that...Drunk or not. He can't talk about Evan like that...He won't kill us. He let us go tonight!" Jonathan cried.

"What about tomorrow night?" Brock wondered. "Or the night after that? This isn't the Evan you know that we are dealing with. Nyx is something that none of us understand. He's something else...And his power is far greater than ours. You need to stop seeing this Evan as ours."

"He never was ours…" Tyler sighed. He should have seen this coming. Thinking back on his past conversations with Evan, the way he spoke, it seemed like he was warning him. "Yes hes our friend but he isn't 'ours'. We've treated him like that...got upset with him when he said the things that were so true we couldn't handle them and we didn't care that he was lonely. We should have seen this coming from a fucking mile away."

"I care!" Jonathan yelled.

"Do you? All you've done is romanticize his pain! You don't care!" Tyler threw his glass down onto the table where it broke apart into pieces. He watched the pieces break apart and fall to the floor, the dim light reflecting on it's crystal surface. No one moved. They were only able to stare at the broken glass and the dim light dancing on the glass.

"I hate you." Jonathan snarled. Tyler looked up at him, narrowing his eyes.

"What have you done to help Evan? Why do you want to let him live in this hell? I hate you…Because you pretend to care...You don't want to help him. Get out of my club!" Tyler yelled, getting up from the table. Aggressive energy choked out the peace that had been there before as Tyler rose to his feet, shoving Jonathan. "Get out!" He yelled. "Get out! Go to Evan if you think you care so much just get out!"

"Ares!" Kelly's voice yelled making all of them jump. They turned to see Athena in the doorway, anger written across her face. "Stop letting him drink, Dionysus." She spat at Brock who flinched away from her.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Tyler yelled, reaching for another glass to smash. Brock grabbed the closest bottle, putting it out of the angry God's reach. "We've waited for Evan to snap and he has! What now, oh great wise one? How do you propose we kill him? How?"

"Shut up!" Kelly snarled. "Sober up. Now. I refuse to go into this blind so I've called upon know that Evan created a his own dagger for this purpose but we have yet to actually find it. Cassandra told me that she is unsure how this dagger works meaning that it mig-"

"I think it works like any other knife works, Athena." Tyler spat suddenly as he forced himself to sober up, his mind clearing as he focused.

"Don't talk to her like that." Sydney snapped. Tyler met the Roman Goddess' icy gaze before letting out a sigh.

"Sorry." His voice was quiet, but Kelly smiled.

"Anyways...I've already spoken with her but she would like to talk to you, Ares. She said that she has something important to tell you." Kelly said, keeping her calm as Tyler stepped towards her. "She's downstairs." Tyler glanced angrily at Jonathan, his threats of violence upon him lingering in his gaze before he turned away and headed down the stairs. He cursed the other Gods, angry at them for talking about Evan the way they did. Tyler knew they were right in that they had to help the world but the more human part of him wanted to help Evan too.

"Tyler?" Cassandra sat in the corner, her red hair falling over her eyes. She brushed it back as she stood up, meeting the war God's gaze.

"Cassandra." He nodded.

"Please...It's Simone now." She insisted, sitting down at the table, patting the chair beside her. He took a seat beside her, wondering what she possibly had to tell him. It seemed that they all had the same fate. What made his different? "I heard you get upset upstairs...What happened?"

"Nothing...It's nothing."

"Was it about Evan?"

"Of course it was." Tyler sighed. "That's the only thing worth getting upset about now."

"It can't be." Simone suddenly said, looking up at him with a serious gaze. "You cannot let your emotions for Evan control you. The same goes for Jonathan. I see your emotions getting the better of you and you will try to fight the Primordial at his peak. You know what that results in...Don't you?"

"He won't kill me, Simone." Tyler said stubbornly. He refused to believe that Evan would hurt him. "He won't."

"In this state of mind...We all know he would." Simone warned. "I'm sure you've heard him talk about how in an altered, power filled state, one would kill simply to show off. That is exactly what he will do now. Believe me, Tyler! You and Jonathan can't approach him alone."

"Why aren't you telling him this?"

"Because you listen better!" She hit the table and sighed, leaning back in her chair. Tyler shook his head, looking away from her. He knew he should listen to her. He knew he should believe her. It had been proven in the past what would happen if one didn't listen to her but he couldn't listen to this.

"Evan won't hurt me. He won't hurt Jonathan. No matter what the pain he is struggling with, he won't do that." Tyler sighed, getting to his feet. He didn't want to hear another word.

"Tyler please! He will destroy you! He will strangle you with darkness! He will look at you with no recognition, with no love and he will destroy you!" Simone yelled. "Listen to me. Nyx is a monster that we do not understand and he won't understand you! "

"Stop it! Stop talking about Evan like that! He isn't ours. He isn't a monster!" Tyler yelled.

"This Nyx does not love you! He doesn't love anything! His night's beauty has been destroyed. He has nothing left to lose. You do have something to lose. Do not approach him, Tyler. Promise me. He has taken from me. He can't take from you." Simone pleaded. Tyler's gaze softened, wondering what Evan could have done to her.

"What did he do?"

"It wasn't him really...It was Abellio but Evan could have fixed it and he didn't. He's so wrapped in these fantasies...this power. Just listen to me. Do you promise that you won't go near Evan alone?" Simone demanded. Tyler sighed again, shaking his head.

"I can't make that promise."

"Have you ever tried to fight Evan full on before?" She asked glancing towards the stairs as the sound of voices got louder as the other Gods started to descend.

"No. I've had no reason to."

"Don't find one." Simone's dark gaze held Tyler, not letting him go even when Athena and the others approached them.

"Has he listened to you, Simone?" Kelly asked.

"I hope so." She said quietly, sitting back down. From her pocket, she withdrew a slip of burnt paper and slid it towards them on the table. "You'll find the location of the Night God's dagger on there. Athena...Please be careful." Simone looked up at Kelly with an expression that Tyler couldn't quite understand. She and Kelly knew something that the others didn't.

"It's okay, Simone. This has to be done." Athena said as she picked up the paper. She glanced at it before handing it to Tyler.

"The natural history museum?" Tyler wondered, handing it to Brock.

"It's a bit of a fossil. One of the archeologists, he also specialises in us Greek Gods. He found the dagger in one of the ruins of a temple back home. Anyways, you need to be careful with him. He sold Brian the dagger that has been used by his Gods to try to kill you." Simone warned.

"A human did that?" Jonathan cried, disbelief written across his face.

"Yes. So don't be stupid about this. Get what you need and get out. Evan is looking for it too. I pray you get there before he does." Simone said as Kelly started for the door. Sydney decided to stay with Simone, the cruel energy around her leaving her feeling weak and tired. Brock claimed the same and waved to them before closing the club door behind them.

Now standing on the crumbling street, Tyler wished he could have stayed too. Simone's warning left him feeling sick. Evan wouldn't kill him. He wouldn't.

"Jonathan…"

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me." Jonathan spat as he followed Athena through the mess. Tyler kept pace with him, glancing around at the destruction that he still hasn't been able to get over. He had seen such brutality before but never on a level like this.

"I don't...But I have to. Simone said that we can't approach Evan on our own. She said that if we do...He'll kill us." Tyler shuddered at the words.

"He wouldn't. He's Evan. You know he can't really kill anyone." Jonathan said stubbornly. "He would never hurt us."

"You watched him damn Brian. What makes you think he won't do the same to us?" Tyler demanded.

"Brian had it coming. Besides...That wasn't Evan that did that." Jonathan wasn't making sense.

"Yes it was."

"You don't want to believe it as much as I do! Why are you trying to enforce this idea that Evan is going to kill us all when you know that he won't! He isn't that kind of God! He won't hurt us! He let us go, remember?" Jonathan cried. Kelly suddenly stopped, narrowing her eyes at them.

"How stupid are you? Of course he will hurt you, Jonathan. Evan's original self has taken over. He doesn't care about you. He hates you. He hates all of us for what we have apparently done to this world! Wake up. The Evan we know is gone forever." Kelly snapped before turning on her heel and continued down the street. Tyler hurried after her, not looking back at Jonathan and the tears in his eyes.

Shadows slithered along the sides of the street, following the Gods as they made their way towards the museum. They didn't attack them, only smiled and followed. Gunpowder and metal swirled around Tyler as he stared down the Shadows. It made him nervous that they were just smiling at them and watching. That meant that Evan knew where they were. He prayed he didn't know why.

"Tyler!" Jonathan's voice suddenly rang through the cold air. He spun as a Shadow suddenly swirled towards him, it's red eyes glowing as it's sharp smile widened. Tyler raised his gun, pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the street as the bullet went through the Shadow that broke apart in dark tendrils that fell to the street. The Shadow didn't stop the bullet which struck Jonathan in the arm, the force of it sending him falling to the wall beside him for support.

"Shit." Tyler sighed, throwing the gun down to the street where it dissolved into pieces of metal and black powder. He ran towards him, seeing blood blossom his blue sleeve. "Shit...I'm sorry...I didn't know it would go right through…"

"It's a fucking Shadow! Of course it went right through!" Jonathan yelled. Up ahead, Athena had stopped, her eyes glancing between them and the other Shadows. "When this is over, I never want to see you again. I'm so sick of dealing with your fucking shit. Heal this!" Jonathan yelled. Tyler sighed, placing his hand on the wound. Warmth spread through Jonathan as the wound sealed, leaving behind only a scar, a bit of dried blood and a hole in his sleeve. Jonathan pushed him away, storming past him to catch up with Athena. Tyler sighed and followed.

Of course he would fight with Jonathan over Evan. They had both known him for so long and both had thought of him as theirs and they didn't know how to share. The idea of killing Evan left Tyler unsettled and hurting but the idea of Evan killing him left him terrified.

The walk felt like forever but when they arrived, the dark crumbling museum loomed over them. Shadows floated around the building but did nothing to stop them from pushing open the broken glass door.

"It's sad to see this planet's history just...left alone and broken here." Jonathan said quietly as they walked through the echoing halls.

"We'll stop Evan and fix all of this so it isn't left alone and broken." Kelly said firmly.

"What if we don't stop him?" Jonathan asked. No one answered him. They made their way downstairs to the offices, finding only one door that was still in tact, the number 407 stamped onto it. They could see a faint light shining through the foggy glass in the door, telling them someone was inside.

"This must be it." Kelly decided, looking to Tyler for agreement. Metal and gunpowder flew around Tyler, creating a gun in his hand. He nodded to Athena who knocked on the door, her gaze turning to Jonathan as he pulled his hidden knife out of his boot.

"Who is it?" A shaky voice from the other side of the door called out.

"Gods...The good ones." Kelly answered. They heard the sounds of locks opening and suddenly the door flew open. A tall, nervous young man stood in the doorway, looking at the three of them with wide eyes. Tyler realised that they all must look like a mess. Tyler's suit was bloody and so was Jonathan's hoodie. Athena was the only one who wasn't covered in blood, only a bit of dirt on her. "What's your name?"

"Scotty...What do you want?"

"Nyx's dagger. We know you have it. We need it." Tyler said bluntly. "We know you gave that Apple God those gold ones too."

"What do I get out of it?" Scotty demanded.

"There won't be monsters prowling the streets anymore." Jonathan snapped. Scotty sighed, backing away from the door to let them in. They entered the dimly lit office as Scotty closed the door and locked it behind them. On the floor were symbols painted in black intended to keep the demons out but they did nothing to stop the Gods. The office was crowded with odd objects. Some were fossils, others were things from their time. Tyler stopped as his eyes landed on a rusting helmet, the feathers that had once been on top now gone. He smiled softly at the memories that came to mind, reaching to touch the rusting metal.

"Don't touch!" Scotty snapped, making Tyler jump. "What do you know about Nyx's dagger? I mean...other than the fact that it's Nyx's."

"Not much." Kelly said watching the human as he moved to his desk, careful maneuvering around ancient objects kept on rickety shelves or on top of piles of history textbooks and papers.

"Legend goes that back when the earth was just created, Nyx ruled the world and all of the darkness that surrounded it. However, the day came that Nyx could no longer handle the darkness and suffering. So Nyx created a dagger and stabbed himself with it, killing the darkness. After that, the legend gets kinda murky. Some say that this killed Nyx and created the world that we know today. Others say that this killed the part of Nyx that was cruel and evil and created a kinder Nyx and a kinder world. Either way, I got the dagger. Don't ask how. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." While he spoke, he reached under his desk and pulled out a long metal box. He unlocked it, lifting the lid to reveal a black dagger that sparkled with what looked like tiny stars embedded in the metal. "Do you think that what is happening now is Nyx taking the world back? Is that why the sun won't rise anymore?" Tyler nodded. Scotty took a deep breath before gently picking up the dagger, holding it out to Athena who gripped the sparkling handle.

"Why did you help Abellio?" Jonathan asked.

"I didn't have a choice...You are much kinder than he was." Scotty pulled his sleeve up, revealing a series of burns and scars. "That sun God on his side is a son of a bitch."

"Abellio is dead. Nyx killed him." Tyler said quietly.

"Oh…" Scotty didn't seemed relieved. "Fix this. I made a mistake helping Abellio. I never should have. I have no power to fix my mistake now and I'm so sorry...But please...fix this."

"We will." Athena said softly. Shadows oozed under the locked door. "Thank you so much for you help. We'll remember it when this is done." The dark smiling Shadow suddenly flew at them, it's teeth bared. Tyler spun, raising his gun and pulled the trigger. The Shadow dissolved, pieces of it floating along the floor as the bullet shot through it, hitting Tyler's old helmet behind it in a flurry of sparks. Their eyes went to the door as the only light in the room suddenly burst into sparks, leaving them in total darkness.

"He's here…"


	11. Chapter 11

The locks clicked and the door creaked open. The human stood by his desk, seemingly alone. His eyes were wide, watching the Shadows slither into the room, their red eyes as wide as his but full of excitement instead of fear. Evan stepped into the office, the dim light flickering on to let him scan the room. He could feel them here.

"Where are they?" Evan asked quietly, his dark eyes full of stars slowly moving to Scotty.

"Where is who?" Scotty stammered, his eyes flashing to the wardrobe in the corner for just a moment. Evan smiled.

"Nevermind...That doesn't matter. Do you have the dagger?" Evan asked, stopping by a rusting helmet. He smiled, placing his cold hand on the old metal, feeling all the dents. Tyler had never been careful. "It was taken from me…" Scotty said so quietly that Evan almost didn't heard him.

"Pardon me?"

"It was taken." The mortal said louder.

"Oh…" Evan took his hand off the helmet and continued across the room towards him. "What a shame…"

"I had it protected! Locked up in this box! I went to sleep and I woke up and it was broken and the dagger was gone! I'm sorry, N-Nyx." Scotty spluttered. Evan stared at him blankly. "Please believe me." Scotty begged, watching the God's gaze drift around the messy office.

"Do you know what is the best way to kill a God? I'm sure you have read enough legends and dealt with those golden daggers and my own to have some idea." Evan's gaze drifted back to Scotty who couldn't look away from him. Even though Evan was shorter than him, the taller mortal was terrified. Death hung heavy in the dark room.

"Well...I imagine that using one of the daggers and stabbing the God…" Scotty struggled to think of the right words. Evan nodded.

"Yes...I suppose that could work." Evan turned back around, seeming to float like his Shadows towards the helmet on the shelf. He took it off the shelf, running his hands over the rusty metal. Flakes of rust fell to the dirty floor. Where there had once been grand plumes of red feathers was nothing but rust and dented metal; a perfect metaphor for the Gods.

"W-What do you think…?" Scotty stammered, looking at Evan with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"I think the best way to kill a God...Is to make them the loneliest thing in the world. In the universe. To make them wish they weren't the loneliest thing… Death follows that God and they won't be able to run from it. Ever... " Evan stared at the helmet, tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered the night time that would follow the day in a gentle explosion of colour and how much he had liked it when he wasn't alone. He remembered Tyler and Jonathan when their world was new. Regret spilled through Evan but he fought it back with a deep sigh. The new Gods had celebrated life with wine and victory on bloody battlefields. There should be nothing to regret. He wrapped his arms around the broken helmet, pressing his face to the metal. Rust smeared on his face. With another sigh, Evan placed the helmet back on the shelf where he knew it would be safe.

"How does that kill a God?" Scotty asked. Evan's gaze went back to the mortal, surprised that he was still there. He had forgotten him for a moment.

"They are more likely to make mistakes..." The wardrobe doors flew open suddenly, the Gods inside staring at Evan and the mortal with shock and terror. Evan made himself meet Tyler's terrified gaze. Jonathan pushed past Tyler, stepping out of the wardrobe while Kelly and Tyler watched him with wide eyes.

"Jonathan don't…" Kelly tried to grab his hood to stop him but he pulled away from her.

"It's not our fault! You never told us anything!" Jonathan yelled. Evan felt a sharp sting of pain in his heart. He wondered if it would be the first of many this evening. "If you were lonely, why didn't you say anything? Why?" Evan wasn't paying attention to him anymore. His gaze was on the the dagger in Kelly's hand and the stars that sparkled in the metal.

"What do you intend to do with that?" Evan asked.

"Nothing if you stop this right now." Kelly said, moving forward out of the wardrobe. Tyler stayed inside it, seeming as though he couldn't move.

"Stop what? Doing what I was meant to do? Doing what is right? I wouldn't be able to live with myself to if I let you continue to ruin this world!" Evan cried, anger bubbling up inside him.

"How dare you assume that you are right when you are destroying this world!" Kelly yelled back.

"That's what you deserve! You have ruined this world with war and blood! This is the world you deserve!"

"And you didn't have any part in ruining it?" Kelly cried. "Everyone believes that your world flowed with blood and misery! How could you think that was beautiful? You disgust me!"

"Do you want to kill me? Is that it?" Evan snarled, his Shadows floating around the room, watching with their red eyes and smiles.

"It's not what we want but we will do it." Kelly warned.

"I don't believe you."

"Why?"

"Because of them." Evan pointed to Jonathan and Tyler. "They don't want to kill me." He smiled.

"Shut up." Jonathan snapped. Evan smiled wider.

"See, I'm right, Kelly. You aren't going to do anything with that." Evan said, holding out his hand. "You may as well just give it to me."

"Why? So you can destroy it?" Jonathan snapped.

"He isn't going to do that." Kelly said quietly. Confusion spread across Jonathan's face. Evan stiffened, realising that she might know. His kingdom couldn't last forever. His exhaustion was creeping up on him faster than he thought it would and it left him wondering if he could just leave this world behind. With that dagger, history could repeat itself.

"How could he not want to destroy any threat against him?" Jonathan spat, talking as if Evan wasn't there. "That's what I would do."

"He isn't you, Nemesis!" Kelly spat. Evan felt disappointment replace his anger. His decision of what to do weighed heavy on his shoulders the same way the gold dagger hidden in his sleeve made his guilt feel heavier.

"I think we are similar in more ways than one, Athena." Evan smiled, trying to get away from the conversation of what he might do with the black dagger.

"Oh?"

"I too have created corpses." Evan's words left a heavy silence and reminder of what happened to Brian. "I am not afraid to do it again."

"You won't kill for no reason." Tyler suddenly said.

"It's easy to find reasons for everything." Evan started to laugh. "This world is a la la land. Nothing makes sense."

"Why can't you snap out of it? Was it Brian that put these ideas in your head?" Tyler cried, pushing past Kelly and Jonathan.

"They've always been there. Brian just helped them grow."

"I can't figure out who is right..." Scotty suddenly said, the Gods turning to the mortal who shrunk back from them, mumbling apologizes for interrupting them. Even though the comment was from a mortal, Evan couldn't help but notice the expression on Tyler's face. He didn't know either.

"Snap out of this, Evan!" Jonathan yelled, suddenly getting closer to him. His eyes flashed red with anger as his hands curled into fists, his rage exploding into violence. Evan did nothing to stop him from raising his fists and swinging, pain blossoming from his jaw. Evan stumbled back, falling against a shelf that rocked back and forth, sending books falling to the floor. "Stop this!"

"No!" Evan cried, spitting out blood. Jonathan was thrown back suddenly, crashing into Kelly and Tyler behind him. They helped him to his feet, their terrified eyes on Evan. "Give me the dagger! I know you can't do anything to me! You can hit me but you cannot face the idea of losing me! Keeping it is useless to you!"

His gaze flickered to Kelly who watched him with a strange look on her face. Either she was getting close to figuring it out or she already knew. Or worse...She could think of something to do with the dagger. Evan straightened himself, remaining as calm as he could as he stared them down. If she knew, there was only one thing he could do and it would break his heart. He never wanted this.

"You've ruined the world...You and Abellio…" Jonathan cried, his voice full of heartbreak. Anger flared again in Evan, making him lose control of his calmness.

"Why should I apologize? Why should I say sorry for the monster I have become? I don't hear you apologizing for making me this way!" Evan yelled, knowing his exhaustion was clear on his face. He turned away from them, struggling to stay calm. He didn't want to do this. He can't let her figure it out. "I was a good God before you! Before you made me lonely! Before you made me deal with the mess you left behind in the night!" Evan whirled around seeing Kelly closer to him now, the dagger held tight in her hand.

"Are you tired...Evan?" She asked softly.

"No." Evan's heart hurt with the reality of what he must do as the realization dawned on Kelly's face. She knows.

"You are...You haven't slept in so long...Eternal night isn't good for you." She stared at him with wide eyes as she got closer. "Go to sleep, Evan. Everything will be okay when you wake up." She knows.

"Kelly don't…" Evan warned as she got closer to him. She knows.

"Exhausting yourself isn't worth it, Evan. You're tired. You're scared. You're lonely. We can make it better." She gave him a small smile full of lies. She knows.

Evan reached for her free hand, holding it gently. Her painted red nails were chipped. She knows. He looked back up at her, meeting her gaze that told him exactly what she knew. She would have no mercy; so neither would he.

He pulled her into a hug but she knew there was no love. She raised the dagger to defend herself, the side of it cutting Evan's chest as he pulled her close. From inside of his sleeve, the golden dagger slid into his hand. With one quick movement, he plunged it into Athena's chest. Tyler screamed. She knows.

After a moment, Evan lowered Athena to the floor, pulling the gold dagger from her chest, blood dripping off the gold steel. Her empty eyes stared at the ceiling above her. She knew.

No one could move for the longest time, death and shock hanging over the room like a noose. Finally Tyler moved, letting out a scream of grief and rage as he lunged forward, metal and gunpowder flying around him to create the gun in his hands that he aimed at Evan. As he pulled the trigger, a wall of shadows grew around Evan, protecting him from the bullets. Once out of bullets, Tyler threw the useless gun down and began to hit the wall, his fists becoming bloody.

"You monster! You monster! I hate you! I'm going to kill you!" Tyler screamed, sobs breaking his voice. The shadows suddenly dissolved, making Tyler fall forward when he no longer had anything to lean on. Evan caught him, holding him for just a moment as he screamed and hit him. He hit Tyler hard in the back of the head with the handle of the dagger, letting him fall unconscious to the bloody floor beside Athena. Evan looked back up at Jonathan and the mortal who were still in shock and unable to move.

"I had no choice…I didn't want this." Was all Evan could say as shadows swirled around him, taking him away from that bloody place.

Evan found himself in the empty but still beautiful hotel in the middle of what had once been Los Angeles, that he now called home. He dropped the bloody dagger to the red carpet, putting his hands to his bleeding chest. Blood spilled from the deep cut but he couldn't bring himself to heal it. He couldn't bring himself to take the dagger either after what he did.

"Evan? You're bleeding." Arlan said from the grand staircase in the middle of the lobby.

"Get out…" Evan whispered. Arlan descended the stairs, hurrying towards the Night God. Daithi and Lui appeared at the top of the stairs, watching with curiosity.

"What happened? Are you okay? Are you crying?" Arlan reached Evan, seeing the tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"Get out." Evan managed to say a bit louder.

"What? But you are hurt!" Arlan protested.

"What happened Evan? What did you do?" Daithi asked.

"Evan?"

"You're bleeding really bad. Why aren't you healing it?"

"What did you do?"

"Evan?"

"Get out!" Evan screamed, the lights bursting into sparks. The Gods jumped back, quickly moving away from him. "Leave me alone! Get out! Get out! Get out!" He screamed at them. They turned and hurried back up the stairs, leaving him the darkness. Evan began to sob, falling to his knees which sent a jolt of pain through him. He wailed, his regret and pain overwhelming him. He pressed his forehead against the red carpet and screamed until he no longer could.


	12. Chapter 12

_May 8th 1945_

 _Los Angeles, USA_

Music floated through the loud hall. People danced and drank with no worries in the world. The war was over and no one else would have to die anymore.

Though disappointed he wasn't needed anymore, Tyler tried his best to be happy too. He danced with Athena who smiled at him as he twirled her around the dance floor, her red skirt swirling around her.

"You can rest now, Ares." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving a red lipstick outline of her lips on his stubble. "You need it."

"I doubt the tension will go away that easy." Tyler sighed. "War is in the blood. It's a natural instinct. It will happen again in some way or another."

"Stop talking like that. Just for once. For me, please? Be happy! Celebrate!" She urged him.

"Fine." He smiled. That night had passed in a golden blur of music, drinks and happiness only to be suddenly washed away by the darkness of the present. "Get out!" Glass smashed against the wall, reflecting the dim, dreary light of the never ending night. Now, Tyler stood in the middle of his lounge, cursing at anyone who came near him. Brock hurried back down the stairs, the sound of the door slamming echoing after him. Tyler's heart hurt again as he thought about being alone and he let out another wail, falling back onto the couch behind him. Grief filled memories swirled around him, making every happy memory suddenly dark and bitter.

"Look at them, Ares!" Evan danced in front of him and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet as he pointed to the fireworks exploding in the night sky above them. "Is this what the sun looks like?" How innocent he had seemed. How kind. He couldn't have hurt anyone.

Tyler looked up at the fireworks, smiling a little as they exploded into beautiful colours and the crowd below them gasped. They had been in Venice, the streets filled with festival goers. Evan had danced and spun around Tyler with joy and amazement at the beauty of the night. Yet as Tyler stared at this Evan, rage tasted vile on his tongue.

"No! That isn't what it looks like you monster!" Tyler suddenly yelled, falling off the couch as he tried to push this Evan away. He landed on the stained carpet, a flash of pain surging through him. He let out another sob as he curled into a ball, anger surging through him. He was angry at everything. Angry at Evan. Angry at himself. Angry at everyone and everything.

"Please don't be upset, Tyler." Athena's face hovered over him, her golden curls falling over her face. The 'Thirty Years War' was over and Tyler had felt useless once more. She sat beside him on the large bed, her skirts sprawled around them.

"What am I supposed to do then?" Tyler had reached for one of her curls, twisting it around his finger. "Why did you leave me...Why did you let this happen?"

"Rest, Ares. You know war will come again. Nyx hasn't seen you in awhile...He was asking about you. Go to him. Let him show just how beautiful he's made the night in an attempt to hide your brutal war." She had said with a gentle smile.

"Stop talking about him!" Tyler pushed the memory away, opening his eyes on the dim lounge and the memory of the golden Goddess was gone from his mind.

"How long has he been like this?" Jonathan whispered from the stairs.

"Since we got back...It's useless to talk to him." Brock whispered.

"Do you think we can deal with Evan without him? We have the dagger now…" Sydney said quietly. Tyler could feel their pitying gazes on him.

"We can't rush him." Brock reminded her. Tyler wished they would stop talking. They wouldn't leave him alone. "We can't rush him…" Dionysus had said quietly. It was the end of the eighteenth century, shortly after the glimmering dinner party. Nyx had gotten sick. He let himself get too mortal and he started coughing and couldn't stop.

"How did this happen?" Athena had sighed, her gloved hand pressed her over mouth and nose as if she too could get sick.

"I think he's too scared of the almighty power in himself. He talks about it all the time." Nemesis said with a concerned sigh. There had been blood on his sleeve that wasn't his. Tyler had pushed past them into the dark room and sat down beside Evan who had fallen asleep finally. The sun would rise soon and he would disappear till it went down again.

"He won't die...right?" He had asked.

"Of course he won't. He isn't that mortal. Just give him time to heal and he'll be back to his godly self." Athena had placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I wish he died." Tyler cried, hitting the lounge floor as if he were hitting his sick and sleeping friend in his memory. "Why didn't he die then? Why didn't he die? Why?"

"Come on, Tyler." Arms gently wrapped under his, pulling him back up onto the couch. Brock sat down beside him despite having been yelled at. He poured him a strong drink, placing it into his shaking hand. "You should rest. Jonathan said that Evan hit your head really hard so you need to rest. Don't exhaust yourself." Brock reached for the blanket in Sydney's arms, the bright flowers embroidered into the soft fabric seeming to be real on the dim light.

"Why didn't he die when he got sick? He was human enough…" Tyler took a hesitant sip from his drink.

"Don't talk like that. Remember that this isn't really Evan." Brock sighed, taking the cup from his hand and placing it on the coffee table before Tyler could spill it.

"Yes it is. It's who he really is…" Tyler raised his voice, trying to sit up as if to fight Brock.

"Shh…" A gentle calming energy descended over the room as Sydney knelt down beside him, gently taking his hand in hers. In this light, she looked like Kelly. Tyler reached out, wrapping a strand of her blonde hair around his finger. "Think about something happy."

"I can't…"

"Yes you can. You've lived a long life. There must be something that makes you happy." She gave him a small smile. He turned his head away from her, his gaze on the back of the couch. Of course there were happy memories but now they were saturated with bitterness. He closed his eyes, his exhaustion finally crashing down on him. The blonde strand of hair slipped from his hand as he began to fall asleep.

"Ares!" The voice echoed around him, sparking anger inside of him. Tyler opened his eyes slowly, looking up at the night sky above him. The darkness was filled with beautiful stars and a bright shining moon. "Ares!" The voice called again, floating through the darkness. His helmet weighed his head down as he turned it, seeing a dark figure hurrying across the battlefield toward him. "Ares!" When Nyx reached him, he fell to his knees beside him, a smile spreading on his face as he realized that he was alright. "You should be more careful." Tyler sat up slowly, his furious gaze locked on the seemingly innocent Night God. He knew better.

"No...You should be careful…" Tyler suddenly pushed Nyx away from him, sending him sprawling to the dusty battlefield. "You've made a big mistake." He snarled as he got to his feet, staring down Evan with narrowed eyes. The memory suddenly melted away, leaving them in darkness. Evan stood up with a sigh, his red leather jacket looking bloody in the dark. He couldn't hide behind memories anymore. Tyler's hands curled into fists as he watched Evan try to think of something to say when there was nothing he could say that would make any of this better.

"I didn't want this, Tyler." Evan finally said.

"Bullshit. You've always wanted to get rid of us. You're a monster, Evan." Tyler snarled.

"You've killed millions and you don't hear me calling you a monster!" Evan shot back, pushing Tyler away from him. "I didn't want this to happen! Why won't you believe me?"

"You want the world to be your hell! You want to make everyone suffer!" Tyler yelled.

"Only as much as I do!"

"How dare you say that? How dare you say its our fault that you lost hope!" Anger surged through him as metal swirled around him, creating a sword in his hand. "How dare you cry to me after what you did!"

"Tyler...She knew! She would have killed me!" Evan cried.

"Shut up!"

"Tyler!" He swung at Evan, the sword glinting in the dim light. Evan jumped back, exploding into feathers. The owl flew over the sword, flipping over Tyler. Evan landed on his feet in another burst of feathers and shadows, a sword as dark as night in his hand. He blocked Tyler's next blow, sparks flying between the metal. "I want to create a better world! I never wanted this! I just couldn't let her kill me!"

"So you killed her!" Gunpowder and metal created a gun in Tyler's hand that he raised and pulled the trigger. Shadows flew around Evan, creating a wall around him. "I'm going to kill you!" He shot at the wall again, a crack forming in the glass-like shadows.

"Tyler!" Another bullet broke the glass. In a shower of shadows, Evan fell to the dark ground, blood blossoming on his red jacket. "Don't!"

"Are you going to kill me too?" Tyler snarled, grabbing Evan's collar and hauled him to his feet. Evan managed to shake his head, his dark eyes locked on Tyler's. Tyler glanced down at his hand curled around Evan's collar, watching Evan blood spill across his fist.

"You don't know…" Tyler threw Evan back down, the Night God letting out a cry of pain as he landed in a heap on the dusty ground. "Besides...this isn't real. You can't really kill me…" Evan laughed as he rolled weakly onto his stomach, blood trailing behind him as he started to crawl away slowly from the War God. "You are dealing with grief...of course you'll dream of killing me."

Tyler watched him, rage and disgust washing over him. He knew he was dreaming but he wouldn't let Evan beat him in his own dream. He had hurt him enough. He threw the gun away as another one formed, aiming it at Evan as he crawled away. He pulled the trigger only to be surrounded by shadows dancing around him, their eyes wide and red; their smiles sharp and cruel. They threw Tyler back as Evan rolled and got to his feet, his smile sharp and cruel. The gun fell from Tyler's hand as he hit the ground, sliding into the shadows. "How do you do it? How do you stay awake so long? I'm so tired, Tyler."

"Shut up!" Tyler yelled as he rolled, looking up at the wide eyed Night God. In his hand was a shiny red apple. He watched as Evan bit into the apple, the crunch echoing around him in the dark. It reminded him of the sound of breaking bones. Yet Evan didn't look evil. He didn't look like the cruel king that he had become. He looked small and scared as he glanced down at the apple in his hand. "You...You killed him…"

"I did?" The darkness suddenly surrounded Tyler, the Shadow's smiling faces chasing him. Tyler awoke with a gasp, sitting up on the couch with wide eyes. He struggled for air, looking around the lounge as if he expected to see Evan there but he was nowhere to be found. Brock slept soundly on the chair beside him, while Jonathan had curled up on the floor in a sleeping bag.

"He's tired…" Tyler whispered. The realisation dawned on Tyler, heavy as the guilt and anger that hung on his shoulders. "Wake up! Brock! Jonathan! Wake up!" He threw the floral blanket off, shaking Brock's shoulder and shoving Jonathan with his foot.

"What? What is it? Tyler?" Brock rubbed his eyes, just as confused as Jonathan was who seemed to be a bit more angry at being woken up.

"He's tired! Evan is tired!" Tyler cried, staring at them with wide eyes.

"So? We're all tired?" Jonathan sighed.

"Unlike us, Evan actually needs sleep! We don't. We just choose to sleep; to pass the time. Evan has been up constantly! Athena knew something, that's why Evan killed her. I think she knew how to kill him." Tyler cried, finding himself breathing quickly with excitement and fear.

He shank back onto the couch, remembering the apple in Evan's hand and the scared look on his face. They had watched him kill Brian. He had damned him. He was missing something but he couldn't figure out what. Tyler shook the disturbing thoughts away, remembering how Evan had said he was tired.

"There is no point in fighting Evan. Even if he's tired, he can kill us in a heartbeat. We have the dagger but it's useless to us." Jonathan wasn't impressed with Tyler's realisation. "He isn't going to sleep while it's nighttime."

"So why don't we make it daytime?" Brock asked with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"What?" Tyler's eyes widened.

"Why don't we make it the day again? That's when he sleeps right? He breaks apart like glass and then reappears again at night." Brock explained. "So why don't we make it the day again?"


	13. Chapter 13

Glass covered the hotel room floor. Mirrors hung broken on the wall and chairs were smashed in corners of the room. Curtains hung limply from windows and a whiskey bottle dripped onto the carpet. Everything that had been on the table had been swept off to the floor. A sunflower lay crushed under bottles and gold daggers.

Evan lay on the bed, his red leather covered arm thrown over his tear-stained face. His other hand, his palm red with his dried blood, hung limply over the side of the bed. The wound on his chest had healed, leaving only a scar and a hole in his shirt. With a deep sigh, he rolled onto his side, his dark eyes landing on his bloody hand.

He couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried; no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't think about anything except the horrible thing that he had done and how alone and tired he felt. He had gotten so far, had made the world his, and now he felt like he had nothing. Tyler would kill him the next time he saw him. Athena, one of the closest friends he had ever had, was dead because of him and Jonathan probably wouldn't ever want to speak to him again. Evan felt completely alone.

A shiver ran through him as he remembered the last time he had felt this way. Evan pushed himself to sit up, large, fluffy snowflakes falling gently around him. He had sat on the cold ice, having found himself falling as his skate caught on a pebble lodged in the ice. The small outside rink had been lit dimly by small lanterns, casting away the darkness that tried to close in on it. Above him, stars twinkled and dance, blowing him gentle kisses.

The Night God had shakily got to his feet, getting back into the steady rhythm. The ice glided under his skates as he moved faster, scraping up bits of ice as he came to a sudden stop. He had planned that he wouldn't be alone tonight like he was advised to do by Athena who was concerned about his stability. But then he remembered the war and was suddenly filled with the anger and bitterness that he had tried so hard to suppress. The snow had continued to fall around him, gathering in his dark hair and on the shoulders of his suit. Ares said it wouldn't happen a second time but it did.

"Nyx! Nyx!" Dionysus tumbled through the snow. "Ares said he couldn't make it and that he's sorry." The Night God had then remembered the sad soldier in Paris that he had seen a few weeks before and the name he had heard.

"Please…" Nyx skated towards Dionysus, gliding to a stop in front of him. "Call me Evan from now on."

Evan fell back onto the bed with a sigh. That name was born of anger and grief. He hated it now. He could always change it now, but that seemed useless to him. As he laid there wondering what other names there was for him, a soft knock on the door echoed through the room.

"Go away…" Evan called out, rolling onto his side.

"Evan?" Berenice answered, pushing open the door. Of course, she wouldn't go away. "What have you done Evan?" She stared around the ruined room with wide eyes, her gaze finally landing on the sad God.

"I've made a mistake….I never wanted this." He sighed, forcing himself to sit back up.

"Well, you got it anyways. Are you going to fix it?"

"How can I fix it? I've gotten the world! It's mine now! What more is there to do? Mistakes are mistakes!" Evan suddenly cried.

"You don't sound like yourself." Berenice sat down beside him, watching him intently. "You said that this world isn't for yourself. It's for everyone. You make nights beautiful for everyone. What happened to you?"

"I...I don't…"

"Yes, you do know. Tell me, Evan." The Moon Goddess demanded. "What made you kill Athena?"

"What makes you think that something made me do it?" Evan suddenly snapped, getting to his feet. Glass crunched under his weight. "I did it! I killed her! It was my choice! She would have killed me!"

"So it was you or her?" Berenice sounded disappointed in him.

"Anyone in that situation would have done that! I regret it a lot but what can I do now? I'm still alive!" Evan cried. To Berenice, his voice didn't sound like his own. A faint accent that didn't belong rang in his words. "You would have done the same!"

"No, I wouldn't! No one would do that! Except for someone who has completely lost control. Have you lost control, Evan?"

"No."

"Evan."

"I think you should leave, Berenice."

"This isn't you, Nyx." She sighed as she stood up.

"I know who I am." Evan shot back. The Moon Goddess stared at him for a moment longer, hesitantly reaching to touch his shoulder before deciding otherwise and headed for the door.

"Did he hurt you?" Daithi's voice was soft. Evan could feel his glare on his back. He kept his back to them, his gaze on the cracked window.

"No...Leave him be, Daithi. Please."

"He's got a lot of blood on his hands, Berenice. He ain't going to be left alone for long." The door closed, leaving Evan once more alone in the dark, broken room.

"I've got blood on my hands, Evan." Brian had said, walking around the Night God to stop by the window. "I'm sure you understand that."

"I don't. I don't kill."

"Yes, you do. You've got your Shadow monsters. You are a killer." Brian had turned back to look over his shoulder at him with a smile. "Listen...I need to know that I can trust you."

"You can."

"No, I don't want to rely on torture for this...I need something more."

"I hate you!" Evan screamed now, pulling the red curtain from the wall and throwing it the floor. He fell to his knees, landing on the red pooled fabric. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, memories filled with regret swimming around him. When he came to, his legs felt asleep, numbness heavy on his muscles.

He pushed himself to his feet, staggering towards the door. The whole way, he leaned against the wall, glass creaking under his feet. He swung open the door onto an empty hallway, the lights overhead flickering and swinging from their hinges. Anger hung heavy in the air. As he made his way down to the lobby of the once beautiful hotel, his Shadows floated around him, their red eyes wide.

"We've made a mistake."

"There was nothing else we could have done, Craig!" Arlan tried to argue.

"I'm with Craig on this. We have to get out of here. Find that war God." Daithi said.

"Oh yeah. Like Ares will help us." Marcel snapped.

"He will." Lui shot back. "Either he lets us join him or we kill Evan on our own."

"You mean to die on our own. I'd like to see you try fighting him again. He killed Athena! Athena! No one was supposed to be able to kill her." Marcel cried.

"We'll be smarter than him. You're a trickster god, Esu. I'm sure you can think of something." Daithi insisted.

"This isn't my playing field and neither is it yours. Back off. You won't win." Marcel sighed.

"Why don't we just leave?" Craig asked. "I can get us out of here."

"He'll find us!" Arlan cried.

"We'll make Ares help us!" Craig cried. The others shook their heads.

"Why do you want Ares' help?" Evan asked from the top of the stairs where he had overheard everything.

"Shit." Marcel spat.

"Nothing...It's nothing." Craig tried to say confidently. Evan moved slowly down the stairs, Shadows wrapping around the golden banisters, watching the Gods with wide red eyes.

"It's nothing." Evan smiled. "It's nothing."

"Yes, it's nothing! They didn't-" Craig was suddenly flung backward, crashing into the wall behind him. He landed in a heap, his ears ringing.

"Were you going to say that they didn't mean it? Because they did. I know you meant it. I heard all of it." Evan snarled, his eyes darkening. Daithi stepped forward, defending the others.

"I won't let you hurt us anymore. We won't follow you anymore!" Daithi said as pointedly as he could. "I am the Sun God! You are nothing to me!" A burst of light exploded around them, drowning the Shadows who struggled to block it out. Evan staggered backward, his hands over his eyes that welled with tears at the sudden burning pain. The ceiling lights burst, weakening Daithi's light. Shadows swirled around him with teeth and claws, blood splattering to the carpet.

"You must be stupid to think you can fight me and win," Evan yelled. A wave of darkness crushed the light, throwing Daithi back. He landed painfully on his wounded right arm, the others now too nervous to help him. With a wave of his hand, a sword of shadows manifested in Evan's hand, swinging it through the air as a practice strike. "I liked you Daithi. You were loyal!" He raised the sword above his head, bringing it down to the floor where Daithi had once been. Raising his hand, a burst of light shot towards Evan, hitting him square in the chest. The Night God fell to the floor, spitting blood out of his mouth to the carpet. The other Gods watched on with wide eyes, humiliation crashing over Evan.

"I was never loyal to you!" Daithi cried, getting weakly to his feet. He stared down at the Night God who looked back up at him with wide eyes, his hand gripping the shadowy dagger shakily. Evan hadn't felt this threatened before. He felt humiliated by being beaten by such a young God. He shouldn't be this strong. Yet he should have known this would happen. He is the God of the Sun, of the light, of everything that Evan could never have. "I was loyal to Brian. We came from the same world, one different from yours! It never crumbled like yours did! I am still powerful! And what are you?" Daithi yelled, shooting light at Evan who managed to roll out of the way in time.

"A Primordial!" Shadows dug their teeth and claws into Daithi, his scream of pain echoing through the lobby. Evan got to his feet, staring down at Daithi who had fallen to his knees. "And you are a fool to fight me!" Evan raised his sword above his head, the need to bring it down on the Sun God's head filling him, but he didn't want to do it. Someone else wanted to do it.

"Evan please!" Berenice's voice cried out. He looked up at the Moon Goddess, seeing her tear filled eyes. Evan looked back down at Daithi who was staring up at him blankly, waiting.

"I'm sorry…" Evan stepped back, dropping the sword to the floor where it shattered into shadows that floated around Evan, looking up at him with small red eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. I can be better." Daithi shook his head. Evan didn't want to believe it but he knew he was right. It was too late to be better. "Please…"

In the corner of the lobby, the God of Opportunity got to his feet, opened a door in the wall and stepped into freedom.


	14. Chapter 14

"Tyler…" The God of War dreamed about Shadows. They danced and laughed, their red eyes wide and full of glee. "Tyler…" He was stuck in the middle of them, trapped and alone. "Tyler!" A hand shook him suddenly and his eyes flew open. His tired gaze landed on Craig, the Roman God of Opportunity. "Tyler I nee-" He threw the blanket that had been over him off, tackling the Roman God who let out a gasp as the force knocked the air from his lungs. He reached behind himself, opening the knob of the door that had appeared on the floor and they fell through the ceiling of the club below them, crashing to the floor at Brock's feet who spilt his drink.

"You fucking idiot! Who the fuck do you think you are? Showing up here! Are you here to taunt us? To tell us how you and Evan are going to kill us?" Tyler yelled, getting to his feet. Craig scrambled up, running around to the other side of the Wine God, putting him in the middle of the angry Gods.

"No! Just fucking listen to me!" Craig yelled back.

"You haven't even started talking yet!"

"You haven't given me an opportunity too!"

"Aren't you the one in control of that?" Tyler snarled. Brock took a sip from what was left of his drink, glancing between the two of them awkwardly.

"Why are you yelling?" Jonathan mumbled as he came down the stairs, woken by their fall through the floor. His eyes widened when he saw Craig. "You…" A knife slid into his hand from his sleeve, lunging at Craig who had to duck away from the silver blade. He managed to punch Jonathan and shoved him backwards.

"Shut up! Listen to me!" Jonathan glanced nervously at Tyler who kept his gaze on Craig, anger flooding the club. "I left Evan! I don't support him anymore. I made a mistake. He's...He's insane. It's like there are two of him in one. We were all going to leave when he caught us...He almost killed Daithi. I was the only one who got away."

"Did he kill the others?" Tyler asked, fearing the answer.

"After what he did to Athena, it doesn't surprise me anymore." Jonathan snapped.

"I want you to help me. Help me kill him and I swear, there will never be a conflict between the Greeks and Romans again. I swear." Craig snarled.

"Wouldn't that be nice." Sydney said quietly from where she sat in the corner of the club. Craig sighed at the Roman Goddess, seeing the holes in his offer.

"Please, just help me."

"No." Tyler snarled. "You are going to help us get our Evan back. Like you said, it's like there is two of him. We have Nyx's dagger."

"You...You have what?" Craig stammered. "I thought it wasn't real."

"It's real. Nyx created it to stop himself all those years ago but he was still alive after apparently stabbing himself. We'll use it on him. All we need to do is make him weak. We need to make it the day again." Tyler explained. Craig looked nervously between the two of them, hardly believing what they were saying. "Are you just going to stand there?"

"I want to see it first." Craig demanded, crossing his arms.

"Tell me if you are with us first." Tyler narrowed his eyes.

"Show me the dagger first."

"Tell me you are with us first." The Gods stepped towards each other, tension filling the room.

"Show me the fucking dagger." Craig snarled. Tyler didn't move. Craig raised his fist, swinging it at Tyler's jaw. In one moment, Tyler was there, the next, he was standing over Craig who found himself on the floor, a black dagger pressed to his throat. Stars twinkled inside the dark metal.

"See it?" Tyler snapped, pressing the edge against Craig's throat. He nodded nervously, meeting Tyler's serious gaze. He knew he wouldn't hurt him. "Good. Are you with us?" Another nod. Tyler handed the dagger to Brock and pulled Craig to his feet.

"Once we make it the day again, we'll have to stab him. We aren't sure if it will actually kill him or not." Jonathan explained.

"Oh, I can make sure it does." Craig smiled wickedly.

"Don't even think about it." Tyler warned. "The problem we face now is returning the day. We could force Evan to stop the night but that could be more bloody than we want it to be."

"Daithi. He's a Sun God. He could do it." Craig said.

"But would he want to work with us?"

"Yes. He tried to fight Evan before I left...Evan was about to kill him but something made him stop and he couldn't do it. It seems odd but either way, he was going to kill Daithi. He'll certainly want to help us." Craig explained.

"Then you will have to go get himself. I'm not going near Evan right now." Jonathan headed back upstairs. Tyler could have sworn that he saw his shoulders tremble with a sob.

Tyler didn't fully trust Craig. He remembered their fight too clearly.

"Why did you say that it's like there are two Evans?" Sydney asked, suddenly beside Tyler. The flowers in her hair looked sad, reflecting the expression on her face.

"I don't know...Just sometimes he reminds me more of Brian than he does of Evan." Craig shrugged.

"He killed Brian." Tyler said pointedly.

"Yeah...He did." Despite Craig's words, Tyler couldn't stop the small wave of doubt that surrounded him. He headed back up the stairs, feeling slightly ill. He found himself standing on a set of rickety stairs, the smell of death and rotting corpses hanging in the air. It had been 1346. The plague had spread and spread fast. Everywhere Tyler had looked, there had been death, waiting impatiently for their next victim. Below him on the stairs, Athena looked back up at him, her eyes barely visible through the bird like doctor's mask, the stench of wilting herbs filling the air between them.

"I wish there was a way...For only the shell that is the body to die but the soul remained alive, finding a new and better body, one that would protect them from whatever had tried to end them before." Tyler had said quietly, placing his gloved hand on the wooden wall beside him. "I don't think that humans should be as weak as they are. They are far stronger than any of us. They live every day with the threat that it could be last hanging over their heads. I couldn't do that. I couldn't live like that. They don't deserve to die off so easily. They are delicate...but as strong as iron...Why did we create something like this only to watch them die so easily?"

"Because we create something better than us...Then find bitter satisfaction in watching it be destroyed." Athena had answered. "Nothing is supposed to be better than us."

"They will survive, won't they?"

"And they will become better than this." They had headed down the stairs to the muddy street, walking slowly as they stared at the quarantined houses, boarded over from the outside for forty days.

"I'm sure that Nemesis is happy, finding revenge in the last days of these mortal lives." Tyler had said quietly. Athena shook her head.

"No...Humans can't get revenge on a God… His time will come. I heard something about witches." She said. He knew that under her mask, she had smiled a little. He thought it was nothing to smile about. As much as he loved war, death scared him. It wasn't a laughing matter.

"Tyler?" He looked up, meeting Jonathan's worried gaze. Tyler looked around, the streets of 14th century London gone, with it the smell of death and herbs that were supposed to save lives. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm fine." He sat down in the armchair, not entirely sure what he was feeling. "Are you okay with killing Evan?"

"No," Jonathan said after a few long, silent moments. "I'm not okay with it. I'm not okay with any of this...But it is what needs to be done. What has to be done. I can't watch Evan suffer anymore. It hurts me like I've never been hurt before. I can't let him go through this anymore… I'd rather him be alive and well but…" He trailed off. He didn't have to finish his thought, Tyler already knew for he felt the same way.

"I'm sorry for fighting you...and yelling at you. I blindly took my pain out on you. I'm sorry." Tyler said, looking up at Jonathan who sat across from him, his eyes on his scarred hands.

"I forgive you," Jonathan said softly. "Don't do it again." He smiled.

"Hey...Were you really the cause of the witch trials?' Tyler asked after a moment, the mood feeling lighter already. Jonathan's smiled widened.

"There was a lot of anger back then." Jonathan shrugged. "A lot of people didn't like their neighbours."

"Sorry to interrupt." They looked up at Brock standing in the doorway. "Craig has gone back to get Daithi."

"We can finally end this." Jonathan said, his smile gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"We still have a problem, though…" Tyler sighed. Brock and Jonathan looked at him with confused expressions. "Evan breaks apart in the morning and disappears...Where does he go?'


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you scared?"

"I'm not scared of the dark."

"Yes, you are. You are scared of the darkness inside you." The apple crunched loudly as Brian bit into it, juice dripping down his chin. Evan had thought that the apple reminded him of a beating, red, bloody, heart.

"I'm not scared of the dark." Evan said again.

"Then why did you create this?" Evan's eyes had gone down to the box on the table in front of him, watching Brian unlock it and lift off the lid to reveal the black, shimmering dagger nestled among the velvet siding. Evan stepped back, meeting Brian's serious gaze, shaking his head.

"Where did you get that?"

"Humans like to collect things...Have you noticed that? They like to dig in the dirt for things their ancestors wanted to be buried...And then they put them on display." Brian smiled. Evan narrowed his eyes darkly at him, before lowering his eyes back to the dagger. Brian picked it up as he set the red apple down, sliding his hand over the flat side of the blade, watching the twinkling stars embedded inside. "Why did you create this?"

"You know why."

"No...You tell me."

"I had to stop myself. I had to stop what I was becoming." Evan said quietly, feeling ashamed of himself. He felt sick, unable to look at the dagger. Instead, he looked at the apple, watching it's juice drip onto the table. He could clearly remember the pain it took to make that dagger and then the overwhelming, unbearable pain when he plunged it into his chest.

"What were you becoming?" Brian demanded. Evan couldn't answer. "What were you becoming?"

"Death."

That doesn't always have to be a bad thing, Evan. Death is natural." Brian smiled, moving around the table between them, moving closer towards him. He leant against the table, twirling the dagger in his hand.

"Not for us." Evan said sharply.

"We aren't really immortal. There are always ways to end us. You wanted to end it with this dagger." Brian smiled, suddenly grabbing Evan's wrist. "I need you, Nyx."

"Let go of me!" Evan yelled, struggling to pull away from Brian who surprisingly had a very strong grip. His nails dug into Evan's skin, a searing pain running up his arm. It burned, tears welling up in his eyes as he struggled to get away. "Let go!"

Evan's eyes snapped open as he sat up from the messy bed, staring around the room. Glancing at the clock, he realised that he had only had his eyes closed for a few moments dancing painfully through memories. That particular memory had felt like an eternity. His hand went to the scar on his wrist, the same one that Brian had grabbed. It still hadn't fully healed; the dagger wouldn't let him heal normally.

He wanted to sleep so bad. Every part of him hurt, heavy with a sore, tired ache. He couldn't think of anything but how much he wanted to sleep. It made him angry. It made him sad. It made him regret everything. He could sleep if he hadn't let this happen; if he had fought harder.

"Stop being so hard on yourself. It's better this way." Evan suddenly said, leaning against the headboard. There was an accent in his voice. "Shut up…" Evan said back, the accent gone. "Leave me alone...Leave me alone." He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the black strands. "You didn't fight. I couldn't. You wouldn't let me!" He laughed at that for some reason. He didn't find it funny.

"Evan?" He looked up, seeing Craig standing in front of him, a golden dagger in his hand. "What is so funny?"

"I wouldn't let him fight! Me against him! I'd have no chance! But he said that I wouldn't let him!" Evan laughed, the accent dancing through his words. Craig looked disturbed.

"You've lost your mind."

"I'm not lost!" Evan yelled, getting off the bed and moving slowly towards Craig who found himself taking a step back. "What do you plan to do with that? If you are going to fight me...You've lost your mind."

"I'm not going to fight you...At least not alone." Craig said before suddenly stepping into the door that had appeared behind him, closing it suddenly. Evan stared at the spot where he had just been moments ago, his eyes wide. He lunged towards the door only to fall through it as it faded away, landing on the bedroom floor. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing onto the bedroom door and swung it open onto the empty hallway. He ran down the hall, pressing the elevator button hurriedly. When it didn't arrive fast enough, he ran to the stairs, pulling open the heavy door and ran down the cement stairs. He stumbled, falling against the hard wall. He winced, pain shooting through his shoulder as he continued down the stairs. Finally reaching the lobby, Evan pushed open the door, stumbling into the large room, getting the attention of the Gods gathered there.

"Speak of the devil…" Craig smiled.

"You don't want to be here anymore...Do you?" Evan asked, out of breath.

"We aren't sorry, Nyx." Daithi spat.

"No don't be mad at me!" Evan cried though he knew they would think he had lost it. He had done this. They should be mad at him. They want him dead though it wasn't him that did these things. He wanted to tell them that Athena's blood wasn't on his hands, that he hated apples, that he wanted this to stop, that he was so exhausted that it made merely existing ache.

The Gods laughed.

"Of course we're fucking pissed." Marcel spat.

"We're leaving. We should never have joined you in the first place." Lui snarled.

"Next time you see us, we'll plunge a black dagger into your heart." Craig tainted.

"No!" Evan yelled, Shadows swarming the room. They threw the Gods around, their teeth sinking into their flesh. Evan watched the Gods fight the shadows with golden daggers, light flashing through the room that evaporated the Shadows into nothing. Evan couldn't bring himself to create more. "Don't leave me."

"What...You aren't going to fight us this time?" Arlan snapped. Evan sighed, a sword made of shadows manifesting in his hand.

"Just don't go. I need you." Evan begged. A part of him was disgusted by his actions. That part lifted the sword, suddenly lunging at the closest God. Arlan danced out the way but not in enough time. A thin red line blossomed on his shirt. Arlan gasped, staggering backwards and tripped over his own feet, falling into Marcel's arms.

"I'm going to kill you!" Lui yelled, running at Evan who blocked his dagger with the sword and threw him back with a sudden rush of energy. The wind God crashed to the floor, the golden dagger falling from his hand. A sudden punch threw Evan back, his ears ringing. He looked up, seeing Craig staring at him with furious eyes. He swung again at Evan, knocking him to the floor; he could taste blood.

"Tyler said he wants to help me. He said that he's going to end you." Craig spat. "He's got your dagger." Evan's eyes widened.

"No...No, it won't...It won't help you…" Evan cried, spitting out blood.

"There is no use in lying to save your own skin. Your reign is coming to an end." Craig said as a door appeared beside him. He opened it and on the other side was Tyler's club. Evan wanted to run through it but found that he couldn't move. A part of him wanted to stay.

"Please listen to me...Don't go!" Evan cried but no one listened. They all stepped through the door and he was left alone. The door creaked closed and disappeared. "It won't help...It'll make things worse…" Evan said though no one was there to hear it. "Stop it. Do you want to get yourself killed?" The accent rang in his voice. "No." Evan shook his head. "Then get up and fix this."

In a sudden flurry of feathers and shadows, the owl took flight, flying through one of the broken windows into the eternal night sky. There were no loving, dancing stars in the smoke-filled darkness. Instead of going to the club, the owl flew over it towards the beach.

In a burst of shadows, feathers and blood, Evan crashed onto the muddy sand, not far from the Moon Goddess. She would forgive him. She had to.

"Berenice...Berenice, please help me!" Evan cried, struggling to get to his feet. "I'm so tired."

"This is what you deserve." Was all she said.

"It's not me! I need to fix this! I need to fix this!" Evan yelled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Like you had to fix things with Athena?" Berenice snarled. "I don't want to talk to you anymore, killed Athena! You almost killed Daithi. You killed the whole planet! Every mortal life ruined! How could you do that? You said you loved the beauty in this world before the wars happened and you tried so hard to keep it alive and then you turn the whole world into a battlefield! I never want to see you again! You're a monster, Nyx." Her words hurt more than anything Evan had ever felt before.

"It's not me...Fuck...I'm so tired...it hurts!" Evan fell back to his knees, clutching his head. When he looked back up, the Moon Goddess was gone. "No...No!" He began to sob. He wanted Jonathan. He wanted Tyler. He wanted Brock. He couldn't be alone anymore but that part of him would not let him surrender. As much as he wanted to run to the club, that part would not let him. It chained him down, leaving him weak and exhausted. "You did this...you did this. No, you brought it upon yourself. Please just leave me alone. Stop this. That's not fun."

"You brought this upon yourself." Evan had looked up to see Ares looking down at him, a smile on his face. "You gotta step coming to war zones. It's not safe." He reached down,wrapping his arms around Evan and pulled him to his feet. They had been in Italy, the village around them crumbling and smoking. Evan had gripped onto Tyler's sleeve, feeling the softness of his American uniform. The Second World War was one of the worst things to have happened in history so far it seemed.

Evan had never seen so much destruction before, so much hatred and blood. It seemed like it would never end. He remembered that he had been furious when it started with Ares. "You're a monster, Ares!" He had said.

"Nyx? Are you okay?"

"It's...It's Evan now…" Nyx had answered, looking around with wide eyes. Tyler had looked surprised by the new name, but he hadn't questioned it. There had been bigger things to worry about.

"Evan, are you okay? I saw that blast throw you back pretty far. What are you even doing here?" Tyler cried, pulling him into cover.

"I just want to go home." Evan covered his face with his hands so Tyler wouldn't see him cry.

"Let me take you home then." Tyler had held out his hand to Evan, giving him a small, reassuring smile. "You should sleep." Evan had nodded slowly, reaching out his hand but it fell through and landed on the muddy sand. The memory dissolved around him, leaving him on the beach.

Except for the beast clinging to his ribs, talking with his own voice, Evan was now completely alone.

"I just want to go home."


	16. Chapter 16

"Let me take you home then." Tyler had said. It had hurt him to see Evan cry and it hurt, even more, to see Evan trying to hide it from him. The new name had been shocking. Tyler thought that Evan was too simple of a name for such a wonderful God.

Evan had nodded then, reaching for Tyler's hand which he held on to tightly. Shadows and feathers, metal and gunpowder, swirled around the Gods. For a moment, Tyler had felt like he was breaking apart only to be put back together again. It had been the last time that Tyler teleported; it made him feel sick. Evan had stepped away from him, slowly letting go of Tyler's hand. As much as he tried, he couldn't remember where he had been and what it looked like but he could remember watching Evan walk around something before suddenly falling onto what must have been a bed, rolling onto his side. "Goodnight, Evan." Tyler had said, the name still sounding strange to him. He had stayed there in the peace and quiet for a moment longer before turning to leave.

"Goodnight, Ares." Evan had said.

This memory was the key. If he could remember what that place had looked at and more importantly where it was, Tyler could finally put a stop to all of this.

Now he lay on the lounge couch, his red on the ceiling but he was staring at something that no one else could see; his memories. Occasionally, his mind would drift and Athena would dance into view, blowing a gentle kiss to him but then his mind would return to the problem at hand and Evan would stare at him with his big eyes, daring him to solve the problem of where he went during the day.

"I heard he sleeps in the ruins of his palace from when he was king of the world." Dionysus had laughed one night. It was 1787 in Paris. Tobacco smoke and the hunger for revolution had been in the air.

"That sounds awful." Athena had giggled, taking a sip from her golden champagne. "First of all, Nyx wouldn't sleep in ruins, let's be honest here!" Her feathers tucked neatly into her hair had floated around her face as she laughed, her skirts falling over Tyler's knees.

"I heard that Nyx sleeps under people's beds during the day. He needs to find the darkness." Nemesis had laughed a bit too loudly. "He's the monster under the bed!"

"Does anyone know?" Tyler sighed, the candlelight memory drifting away.

"Know what?" Brock asked. Tyler jumped, sitting up to look at the God of the Grape who sat across from him.

"Where Evan goes during the day. He has to sleep somewhere." Tyler yawned. He needed a nap.

"I heard that he sleeps-"

"In ruins, yeah I've heard that one before, Brock." Tyler laid back down, throwing his arm over his face.

"No...I said that I heard that he-"

"I get it, Brock!" Tyler snapped. He rolled onto his side, his tie falling over his arm as he closed his eyes. The suit had become the modern armour and he wore it well, or so he had been told by Kelly. Brock sighed, angrily setting his empty glass down on the table and got up, leaving the lounge.

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" Evan snapped. Tyler opened his eyes, taking in the darkness around him. "You were one of the first Gods to be created after us Primordials...You know me well. So why can't you remember?"

"Shut up."

"I'm trying to help you, you fucking moron."

"Why are you so fucking angry?" Tyler spat. Evan smiled, his eyes filled with darkness and stars.

"I have lots of reasons to be angry. I should have let you die when Greece fell." Evan snarled, his words striking Tyler.

"You couldn't even if you wanted to." Tyler shot back. "You love too much."

"So do you."

"War isn't a place to love."

"I'd argue that. Sometimes you need to find love in chaos to find the strength to continue to fight. Sometimes, all you need is simply...home." Evan said, a smile playing on his lips. Tyler shook his head.

"That isn't what I want to think about! I don't want to talk to you, Evan! I can't look at you!" Tyler snarled, turning his back on the Night God.

"Yes, you can. You want to find peace with me dead or alive so you can keep living. So you don't have to confront your grief and your pain and you won't have to confront whatever the fuck is going on with me!" Evan yelled. "I'm a monster, Tyler! Or maybe it's just the monster inside me, clawing at my heart, my lungs, my ribs! Maybe it'll break free and no dagger can stop it!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Tyler screamed back, a gun manifesting in his hand. He raised it and pulled the trigger, smoke floating through the air as his ears rang. Evan looked down at the hole in his chest and laughed.

"I fed it, Tyler. He wanted me to do it. I couldn't stop it...Now all of us have blood on our hands." Evan pressed his hands to his bloody chest then held up his red palms to the War God. "You should figure this out quick…" Evan suddenly fell backwards, collapsing to the dark floor and did not move from where he landed.

Tyler's eyes opened slowly, the images of the twisted dream still floating in his mind. He could hear someone calling his name and footsteps on the stairs. He pushed himself up, stretching as he yawned again and made his way to the stairs.

"Craig is back and he brought friends." Jonathan said from where he stood in the middle of the stairs. "They all want to kill Evan." Tyler pushed past Jonathan, hurrying down the stairs. The group of Gods stood in the middle of the club, some looking furious while others were looked relieved. He remembered them all very well.

"I didn't think you would bring all of them." Tyler managed to laugh as he approached them cautiously.

"We all got reasons to want to leave. Being here is way better than staying there." Craig shrugged. "But we all mostly just want Evan dead."

"This Evan? The one that caused you so much pain...or the one that you captured and tortured?" Jonathan snapped from where he stood on the stairs.

"Does it matter?" Marcel shot back.

"Yes, it does."

"Look, we all want the same thing. We all want Evan to stop either permanently or semi-permanently." Craig pushed in between them. "We are going to have to work together if we want this to work."

"Shut up." Jonathan spat.

"Jonathan has a point." Tyler sighed. "You can't talk like that. It isn't that easy. We don't even know where Evan went during the day. We still have work to do before we can face him."

"Does it matter if we know or not? You have his dagger. We are killing him." Daithi snapped.

"Aren't you scared?" Attention went to the corner of the room where the Flower Goddess had been watching the whole time. She hadn't said much since Athena's death. All she seemed to do now was haunt them. "Aren't you scared of Evan? Aren't you scared of the fact that he could kill you before you could even try?"

"He's weak."

"Have you ever been able to defeat him?"

"N-no… Not really."

"Then he will kill you. You should be scared and you should be listening to Tyler." She scolded. "His plan will keep most of you alive."

"With your help, especially you, Daithi, we will make it the day again. When Evan disappears, we will follow him and we will use the dagger. Confronting him and making it the day again will be the hardest part." Tyler explained. "If anyone is going to die, it will be then."

"And this is the only way?" Luis asked, catching Tyler off guard. He had only thought about this one way but maybe there was another way. Maybe there was something else he could do. If Evan was weak, if he was hurting, as much as Tyler didn't like the idea because of his anger about Kelly's death, he could talk to Evan and maybe he would listen.

"Yes." Tyler didn't want them to know just yet. Lui sighed, turning back to the others with an annoyed expression.

"Great. Fucking great. What do we get out of this again?" Lui snapped.

"We won't fuck with you anymore."

"Fair enough."

"So we have a deal?" Jonathan asked. There were nods among the group of Gods.

"Deal."

"Who wants a drink?" Brock sat on the bar, offering a bright red margarita to them with one hand, his own drink in the other.

"Really? At a time like this?" Daithi looked disappointed with how in shambles they all were.

"We can't think about yesterday's fight. We can only think about tomorrow's fight so we drink to forget yesterday." Brock said, setting his glass down to drop a small frilly umbrella into the other drink. "So who wants a drink?" They all wanted one.

Tyler couldn't stop thinking about his second option. He could do it. Evan has to listen to him. Yet he was scared, remembering how Craig had said that it seemed like there was two of Evan. Who or what was the second one and how powerful and angry could they be? Tyler shook the thought away, grabbing Craig's arm as he passed.

"I need to talk to you. Upstairs; alone." Tyler said before letting go and headed for the stairs.

"What is it?" Craig asked when they reached the lounge. Tyler paced for a moment, glancing out the window before finally turning to look at the Roman God.

"I need you to create a door for me." Tyler said.

"Where to?"

"Evan."

"What? No! Fuck that." Craig turned to head back down the stairs but Tyler stopped him, grabbing onto his arm tightly. "Why do you want to see him?"

"There might be another way. I want to talk to Evan. If he's weak, maybe he will listen to me. I can handle him. I've done it before." Tyler explained.

"You've fought Evan before?"

"Yes but that doesn't matter right now. Don't tell the others. Just make a door, and keep it open for an hour. If an hour passes and I'm not back, close it and continue with the plan that I have told you about." Tyler instructed. Craig hesitated, looking nervously at Tyler before waving his hand in the air. It shimmered like water on a warm summer day before dark wood blossomed in the air, forming a large door with a golden doorknob in the centre.

"Are you sure about this?" Craig asked. Tyler nodded. "Do you at least have something to protect yourself with?" Tyler pulled back his suit jacket, revealing the black dagger embedded with twinkling stars sheathed at his hip.

"More Gods will die if I don't do this." Tyler said, letting go of his jacket and reached for the knob. The door swung open onto a dark and empty hallway. The ceiling light swung slowly, and music drifted towards them from somewhere that Tyler couldn't see. "One hour." Tyler said, glancing back at Craig before stepping through the door. He pulled the door closed behind him, stopping it before it latched shut.

He moved slowly down the dark hallway, looking around with wide eyes. Paintings and mirrors that had been on the walls were now pulled down and smashed, glass littering the red carpet. _Midnight City_ by M83 was playing faintly. The song felt wrong in a place like this. It was Evan's favourite song; not the beast's that stalked these halls.

Tyler turned the corner, finding himself at the top of a large staircase that went down to the once beautiful hotel lobby. He remembered this hotel, smiling at the memory and the fact that Evan had chosen to hide himself away here. Evan was laying on one of the red couches, his back to the stairs. The music was coming from his phone.

Tyler moved slowly down the stairs, his eyes on his still friend that he had only seen in dreams since he had watched him kill Athena. His hands curled into fists at the thought, reaching for the black dagger. He pulled the dagger out, the stars dancing and twinkling under the metal and raised it as he stepped towards Evan.

"You've come to kill me, haven't you?" Evan's voice was tired. Tyler froze, the dagger inches above Evan's throat. The Night God rolled onto his back, looking up at Tyler. His dark eyes moved to the dagger, widening only a little. "You can't. You won't." Evan reached up, his fingers curling around Tyler's wrist and moved his arm away. Evan sat up, watching Tyler as he stepped back. As much as he hated it, Evan was right. He couldn't really do it. "Other than wanting me dead like everyone else...Why are you here, Tyler?" There was something wrong with Evan's voice. Other than the fact that he was tired, there was something else, something that didn't belong. It was familiar but at the same time something that Tyler couldn't put a name to.

"I want to talk to you." Tyler said as Evan got to his feet, picking up his phone to turn the music off. Evan tossed the phone back down on the couch and began to pace the lobby. "I want to make a deal. I can help you sleep again. Everything can go back to normal. No one else has to die. It can be over, Evan."

"Normal… You mean you get to drink and party till the next big war and I get to spend my nights depressed and wishing for more? I'd prefer this fucking hell!" Evan yelled.

"Then we'll make it better but you should know that I will never, ever forgive you for what you did to Kelly." Tyler snarled.

"Then why are you standing there? I know you want me dead...That wasn't me!" The sudden change in his words and voice startled Tyler. Evan turned away from Tyler, his hands curling into fists. "I know you want me dead and you feel that if you kill me then some peace will calm your grief. So why are you standing there? Why aren't you doing anything about it?" Evan said as he turned back around. Tyler was trying to keep up with this strange creature in front of him. He had been prepared for someone tired but mostly stable. This wasn't at all what he had expected.

"Are you possessed?" Tyler wondered aloud.

"What?"

"You said that you didn't kill Athena but I saw you do it. Your voice is different. Are you really Evan?" Tyler wondered, stepping closer towards him. Evan backed up, his eyes wide.

"I am Nyx! I am the God of the Night! Don't you dare come near me!" He yelled. "I'll kill you!"

"That's not what I'm asking. I asked, are you really Evan?" Tyler said calmly. "What happens if we make you sleep and we use this on you?" He lifted the dagger. "If you are possessed, what will it do? Which one will it kill?" Tyler demanded as Evan found himself with his back against the wall. "Is that what Athena knew? Is that why you killed her because she knew? Because she knew who you really are and she would have destroyed you?"

"I'm Evan."

"Then stop this. Stop it right now. Put everything back to normal, the way it was before Abellio. Fix this." Tyler cried. Evan screamed and a wall of Shadows exploded from the floor, throwing Tyler backwards. He crashed to the floor as the Shadows rushed towards him, their red eyes wide and teeth bared. "Fix it, Evan!" Tyler yelled as he swung the dagger, slicing a Shadow in half. The Shadow screamed and more rushed towards him, throwing him further back. "Evan! Stop this!"

"You are nothing to me! Nothing! All you do is get in my way!" Evan snarled as he moved through the Shadows towards Tyler who scrambled to his feet. He held the dagger in front of him, keeping it steady as Evan moved closer. "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!" Evan raised his hand, a sword of Shadows manifesting there and he swung it down on Tyler who blocked it with the dagger.

Metal, wood and gunpowder swirled around Tyler's other hand and he aimed the pistol, sparks flying through the air as smoke burst from the barrel followed by the only bullet inside. Evan dodged, the bullet grazing the side of his sword in a burst of sparks and flew past his head, lodging itself in the wall behind him. Tyler flipped the gun in his hand and brought the hard wooden handle on Evan's arm that he used to block the hit, both hearing the crack of bone.

Tyler threw the gun down, jumping out of the way of Evan's next swing with his sword. He lunged towards Evan, the dagger slicing his side through the red leather of his jacket. Evan screamed, stumbling backwards as dark blood started to ooze from his left side.

"Hurts, doesn't it? But who does it hurt more? Who are you? What have you done to Evan?" Tyler cried.

"Evan!" He yelled back, another rush of Shadows throwing the War God back. Tyler hit the wall, landing harshly on the red carpet. Tyler got to his feet, steel, iron and gold rushing around him to create his shield that he raised in time to block Evan's next hit with his sword. He shoved Evan back with the shield and lunged at him with the dagger. Evan dodged and brought the sword down on Tyler. The metal bit into Tyler's shoulder, blood splattering onto his face as Evan raised the sword, pulling it out of Tyler's flesh. As the sword came down towards him, Tyler raised the shield, feeling Evan's full force in his wrist as the shield shuddered as the sword came down on its golden surface. Tyler dropped to one knee, thrusting the dagger forward into Evan's torso. He cried out, falling backwards as Tyler pulled the dagger out, black poison-like blood dripping to the red carpet. Evan collapsed to the floor, pressing his hands to the wounds. "You're a fool...you're out of your mind...You can't kill me...You love too much." Evan snarled.

"So do you." Tyler said as he looked down at the weak, Night God. Evan suddenly kicked Tyler's feet out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. They both heard bone break as Tyler's arm was crushed between the shield and his own body weight that he couldn't stop. Tyler cried in pain as he rolled off his arm, only to be pinned down by Evan, a knee pressed into his chest, both hands on his throat. Tyler felt himself begin to burn from the inside out. A searing pain that came from under the skin. Tyler screamed in agony, tears spilling from his eyes like the blood from his shoulder.

"This is what it feels like when a star dies...Burning from the inside out…then combustion...then nothing." Evan said through gritted teeth. With his unbroken hand, Tyler grabbed onto Evan's arm, trying to push him off but it was hopeless.

"E-Evan…" Tyler gasped, looking up at the conflicted face of his closest friend. "P-Please...Stop…"


	17. Chapter 17

146, BCE

Olympus

Flames stretched towards the dark night sky. Screams from the Gods echoed through the crumbling halls. A wall of Shadows surrounded Nyx as he ran down the hall, past Greek and Roman Gods who fought each other to the death. A large God suddenly shoved Nyx against the stone wall, pain shooting through his shoulder.

"Please… I don't fight!" Nyx cried.

"I do." Nona, the Roman God of the Night said and laughed, lunging at Nyx whose hand went to the God's threat. Nona screamed in pain, burning from the inside.

"Don't you dare think you can replace me!" Nyx yelled, dropping the God's burning body to the floor. Nyx continued down the hallway as quickly as he could, dodging out of the way of other Gods locked in a fight to the death. The Romans thought they could replace them. They thought they were old and unnecessary.

Since when did the Night have to be able to fight? He reached the end of the hall, pushing open the door only to have to hide behind the wall as a vase smashed into the wall. Peering around the corner, the Gods of War were locked in battle, their swords crashing against each other in an explosion of sparks and fury. Ares managed a blow at Mars' arm but it wasn't enough. The larger God pushed Ares back with his shield, the older God falling against the wall. Mars' sword came down on his shoulder, biting into the flesh before he pulled it out, blood splattering onto the floor. As the sword came down towards Ares a second time, he raised his shield and Nyx could see it shudder under the force of the sword.

"Ares!" Nyx couldn't stop himself from calling out his friend's name in worry and fear. The Greek God looked at him, his guard slipping. The Roman God brought the sword down again on the shield, everyone in the room hearing the sound of bone breaking. Ares screamed, falling to the floor with his shield falling on top of him. Mars brought his sword down on Ares, stabbing it through his shoulder to pin him to the floor.

Nyx had nothing. He had nothing to fight back with but he couldn't let Ares die. Not like this.

"I have a feeling that if anyone is going to kill me, it'll be you, Nyx." Ares had once said. Shadows swirled around Nyx suddenly, creating a large sword in his hand. Beneath the surface, shadows danced and swirled, their red eyes still glaring out at the world around them. Nyx stared at the sword in surprise before swinging it awkwardly at the Roman God who laughed at him as he ducked out of the way.

"You silly God. You silly little God." Mars had laughed, his red hair falling over his eyes. Nyx screamed in rage and swung again, the tip slicing through Mars leather armour. Drops of blood trickled down his torso. "Is that really the best you can do?" With a sharp kick to his chest, Nyx was thrown back, crashing to the floor. Mars dropped on him, a sharp knee pressed into his chest as he gripped Nyx's throat. Nyx fumbled for his sword, his eyes landing on Ares couldn't move, his eyes wide with pain and terror.

"N-Nyx…" Ares stammered. Nyx's finger curled around the handle of his sword as he felt himself becoming faint, unable to breathe at all. He stabbed the sword into Mars' side; blood splashing onto his hand. Mars cried out in pain, smashing Nyx's head against the floor but it wasn't enough to stop death. Mars suddenly collapsed on top on Nyx, both covered in blood. "Nyx...Nyx…" Ares grit his teeth as he pulled the sword out of his shoulder and scrambled towards him. He pushed the body of the Roman God off, pulling Nyx into a hug, his hand pressed to the back of his head. "Nyx...Nyx please say something…" As much as Nyx wanted to, he felt like he was falling, further and further away from Ares. "Nyx!" His voice became fainter as if he was yelling through a dark tunnel.

It was the feeling of warmth that began to pull him back. His eyes opened, looking up at Ares. The wound on the back of his head had healed, leaving nothing but a small scar. "You saved me…" Nyx said quietly.

"No...No, you were the one that saved me...You killed Mars." Ares had laughed, hugging Nyx tightly.

"We should get out of here…" And they did, finding the remaining Greek Gods, bruised and battered but still alive. That was all that had mattered.

"P-Please...S-Stop…" Evan's eyes met Tyler's as tears began to spill down his face

"Y-You can't take this from me too…" Evan said to the monster inside him. He suddenly let go of Tyler and fell on him, pressing his face against his chest. "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry…" Evan sobbed but Tyler wasn't listening. He didn't move, didn't make a sound. Evan raised his head, looking at Tyler with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Tyler…? Tyler?" Evan sat up, pulling him into a hug. "Tyler! Please say something! Please! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Ty-" Evan suddenly froze. Mechanically, he laid Tyler back down on the floor and stood up, taking a few steps to back away from the War God.

He stared at Tyler with blank eyes, not moving or saying a word. The silence hung heavy over the room. Tyler stirred, his eyes opening slowly to look around him before landing on Evan who continued to simply stare at him.

"E-Evan...You stopped…" Tyler stammered, struggling to get to his feet.

"Get out of here."

"Evan."

"Get out!" Evan yelled, his hands curling into fists. Tyler didn't move, his eyes wide as he shook his head.

"I can help you, Evan. I've never left you. I've always helped you...I'll do it aga-"

"I will kill you if you do not leave right now." Evan warned. Tyler seemed confused. Evan's voice was his own which meant that he was warning him, not threatening. "You have to go...Do what you have to do. Please." Evan kicked the black dagger to Tyler who slowly picked it up. Evan couldn't do it no matter how much he wanted to.

Tyler stared at him for a moment longer before nodding slowly. Evan couldn't meet his sad gaze so he watched Tyler's wounds heal instead. Tyler turned and headed back up the stairs to the door that Evan knew he had come through, keeping his back turned. He heard a faint click.

Evan screamed, Shadows exploding through the room. "You idiot! You god damned idiot! You are fucking useless! Useless! I picked you because I thought you were worth something to me! You are nothing! Nothing but a waste of time! I should let you rot!" The monster that stole Evan's voice yelled. He suddenly dropped to his knees, gasping for air. He spat black poison onto the carpet. "It hurts, doesn't it? I told you! I know how to hurt you! It's even easier now! You are nothing but a punching bag to me. At least you can fight. I should have just finished Tyler off instead of being dramatic. That's always gotten the best of me. However-" Evan gasped, his Shadows fading. "Shut up...Shut up...No one cares."

He wiped the black poison from his face and staggered to his feet, his jacket torn and bloody. Near him lay his fallen sword of Shadows. He had made it for protection originally but it had lost all meaning to him now. "What are you doing?" The voice snapped. "I want to sleep." Evan answered, picking up the sword and watched it dissolve into shadows that slithered away from him. He turned and walked back over to the couch, collapsing onto it. He knew there was no point in going anywhere for it wouldn't be long now. "You can't sleep." Evan sighed. "I can try." He laughed. "No, you can't."

Evan suddenly sobbed, sitting up. He leant against the back of the couch, an abandoned king sitting on his tattered throne in a ruined throne room. He stared around the broken room, tears slipping from his eyes.

"S-Stop!" Evan had cried. Brian had gripped Evan's bleeding wrist tightly, not letting go no matter how much he had struggled.

"You'll be my vessel… You are strong, Nyx. You are powerful… I need you!" Brian had yelled, his eyes wide and wild.

"Stop!" Evan had cried, suddenly pulling his arm away and falling to the floor. Abellio had stared down at him, pressing his now free hand against the blade. Blood oozed around the black, starry metal. "W-What are you doing…? Stop!"

Evan got to his feet, forcing the painful memory back. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home and lie down in his own bed where he would sleep away the day and awaken to see his friends in the night. He wandered up the stairs, wondering if the door was still there but it was gone. The hallway was empty. Evan continued to wander through the halls, glancing out the windows when he passed to the dark and destroyed the city. He wondered if there were any humans still alive out there. He hoped that this could be fixed, that there still something out there to make beautiful again.

Evan pushed open one of the doors, finding the only room that seemed like it hadn't been touched at all since this whole thing started. There was still suitcases lying scattered about the room as if the people inside had just fled, leaving everything behind. Evan supposed that he would have done that too. One of the suitcases was a child's, it's top blue and sparkling. Evan knelt down and pushed the top open. A teddy bear smiled up at him.

Slowly, Evan curled his cold hands around the teddy bear and sat down on the nicely made bed. Stifling a yawn, Evan laid back on the bed, holding the bear as tightly as he could; as if holding it so tightly would make him fall asleep as if it could send him home. But he never did fall asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Tyler had hesitated in front of the door in the dark and ruined hallway. He had turned back for a moment, fearing what would happen if he stayed but also fearing what would happen if he didn't. After a moment, he had pushed open the door and stepped out of the hotel hallway into his club's lounge.

"What the hell happened to you?" Craig stammered, suddenly rushing to Tyler's side. "Did you fight him? What happened?"

"You're right. Evan is possessed. His voice is wrong… His actions are wrong."

"Did you fight?"

"Yes."

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

"What do we do?"

"We make it the day." Tyler said, meeting Craig's serious gaze. "Evan wants us to do it."

"He said that?" Tyler nodded in response to Craig's wide-eyed stare.

"I can't do it, Craig…" Tyler put his bloody hands over his face, not wanting the Roman God to see him cry. "I can't use this…" Tyler pulled the dagger from the sheath on his belt and slammed it onto the coffee table. "Someone else has to do it because I can't! I hate him! I hate him for what he did to Athena but at the same time...He's my friend...My closest friend! I need him as much as he needs me!"

"Then don't do it...One of us will do it. We've never been close to him." Craig shrugged. Tyler was offended.

"You don't even know what this will do!"

"It'll kill something! Either him or whatever is possessing him!" Craig shot back.

"Or both…" Tyler whispered.

"What would you prefer? Hell on earth? Or normal life restored?" Craig sighed.

"Normal life was hell for Evan."

"I'm not asking Evan. I'm asking you."

"Normality...As normal as it could get after this." Tyler finally answered. "But I can't do it...I can't kill him!"

"Get some rest. You aren't thinking clearly. Just lie down and sleep." Craig said. Tyler nodded, falling onto his side as Craig got up to find a blanket. Tyler had already fallen asleep by the time that he draped it over him.

"I asked you to do it." Tyler opened his eyes, his gaze landing on Evan. He stood in the darkness, twirling an owl feather in his hand.

"I can't, Evan!"

"Do you give up?" Evan's dark eyes were expressionless as if he didn't care what Tyler said.

"No...I-I...I don't know...There are so many others involved now...I'm hardly needed." Tyler stammered.

"You don't sound at all like a War God. If you keep talking like that, you'll make me regret killing Mars." Evan snapped. "You're missing something important, Tyler. You haven't pondered this question yet…" Evan took a step towards him, spinning the feather. "How could an Apple God be so powerful?"

"He owed a lot of favours." Tyler shrugged. "Look, it won't matter once this is over! Besides, Abellio is dead…"

"How could an Apple God be so powerful?" Evan asked again, moving even closer to Tyler.

"Read a lot of books? He was a pathetic God! I would do everything I could to get that powerful!" Tyler cried. "What am I missing, Evan?"

"What if he wasn't an Apple God?" Evan tucked the owl feather into Tyler's front pocket.

"Evan...I think I know who he was." Tyler sighed. Evan's smile was wicked. It was full of poison. It was full of evil. Taking a step back, shadows swirled around the Night God, wrapping around him like a rope. When they faded, Evan's red jacket was replaced with a black suit, a red rose tucked into his pocket.

"You don't know anything." Evan laughed and Shadows rushed towards him.

Tyler awoke with a cry of fear, his arms in front of him to protect himself but there was nothing there. The lounge was empty, the blanket on top of him fallen to the floor. Tyler picked up the blanket, pulling it around himself. Something in his front pocket brushed against his hand, feeling soft but something scratched into his hand harshly.

Tyler froze, knowing that nothing should have been in his pocket. His hand shook as he reached inside, his fingers curling around something soft. He pulled his hand out, opening his palm to reveal an owl feather. He rubbed his thumb against, it feeling the soft feathers, watching them ruffle and move under his finger. He thought about the dream, about how Evan suddenly became something made out of nightmares. He had been pure evil. Tyler shook his head, fearing the worst. He laid back down on the couch, crushing the owl feather in his fist but he put it back in his breast pocket. He still couldn't think of doing what he knew had to be done. No matter what Evan was, no matter what had taken control of him, he couldn't do it.

"Where does one find that kind of strength?" Tyler had once wondered aloud. His gaze was on the burning city of Moscow. The year was 1812 and Napoleon had crossed the nation with his armies, breaking into one of the strongest empires in the world but that empire would not be defeated.

"I believe that it's always there. One only recognises it when they need it most." Athena had answered. The two Gods had stayed on their horses, both in Russian uniform as they watched the smoke rise in the distance.

"They've lost their heart but they won't stop fighting…" Ares marvelled at the mortal's God-like strength.

"We should learn from them." Athena had said with a smile, snow landing on her dark uniform.

"I am an empire...My heart has been taken...But I can't give up, can I?"

"I think that's a reason to never stop, not to give up." Tyler was snapped out of his thoughts, the memory melting away like snow in the spring. Brock stood by the stairs, a calm expression on his face. "Hasn't it always been in history that this is the turning point in the battle?"

"I don't think that applies in this case…" Tyler remembered his dream. There was something missing.

"I think it does. We are so close to figuring out." Brock suddenly waved his hand and a map and small figures appeared in front of him in mid-air. Tyler never knew that he could summon objects before. Set out like a battle plan, Brock picked up on the figures, its tiny metal shield glinting in the light. "You feel like you are in enemy territory and you have nowhere else to go...But there is everywhere to go. At this point, every single option is an opportunity for victory. You cannot fail. Besides...When have you ever been on the losing side?" Brock asked with a smile.

"Never...But I've never had to fight Evan before! I can't tell who is right and who isn't! Didn't you see it? Didn't you see how horrible existing was for him? To never see the light of day...He saw it once and it ruined him...He took it all away because no one deserves it!" Tyler cried.

"How do you know that was Evan? How do you know that that wasn't whoever is possessing him?" Brock asked. "You said this isn't Evan."

"But it's his face! His voice!" Tyler cried. "I can't get past that. Everything about him is him… It's Evan."

"You have to try. You have to do something, Tyler. You have brought us all together. Now you have to do something about." Brock shot back.

"I'm scared, Brock! Evan, or whatever this is...He's strong! Stronger than before! He almost killed me, Brock! Who knows what he could do the rest of you." Tyler sank onto the couch, running his hands through his hair. Brock suddenly slammed the figure down onto the floating board, making Tyler jump.

"You have to try. Don't be a coward now."

"I know...I know…"

"You've lost Athena. You are losing Evan. That is all the more reason to continue to fight, not curling up in a ball and waiting for the world to end." Brock said his voice firm. Tyler watched him head down the stairs, leaving him alone in the dimly light room as the planning board and it's tiny figures disappeared except for the one with a shield. It landed on the floor with a loud thud, the shield glinting in the light.

Reaching for the figure, Tyler smiled at the likeness of his past self. He knew that Brock was right, that he couldn't give up. He would be letting Athena down and he would be letting Evan down and he would also be letting himself down.

"There will always be a war." Athena had said in the fifties, her golden curls twisting around the top of her head. She had sat beside him in the Parisian cafe, her crinoline skirts pooled on the bench around her as she sipped her coffee. "And you'll always fight, won't you?"

"I don't have to answer that. You already know."

"I know...And I know you pick the winning side… Are you fighting for good, Tyler?" Athena had wondered. Tyler couldn't answer her and he still couldn't answer her even though now she was gone. Tyler's smile faded as he looked at the tiny figure. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out of the mysterious black owl feather and threw both into the trash before heading down the stairs to the club.

"He's alive." Marcel said from where he sat at one of the booths. Craig stopped his pacing and looked up at Tyler, starting to ask how he was feeling but stopped himself, glancing nervously at the other gods around him.

"Do we know anything at all about what to do next? We have the dagger, Evan is weak. We need to strike now or we never will." Daithi cried. Tyler nodded, leaning against the bar.

"I know… I remember seeing it...Where Evan goes during the day but I can't remember clearly." Tyler sighed.

"Great. Has anyone else seen it? Brock? Jonathan?" Lui snapped, looking at both of them. Jonathan shrugged.

"I can't remember it either." Jonathan kept his eyes on the floor, not meeting the other's gaze. Tyler wondered what he was thinking but his attention was caught by Brock who suddenly put his glass down, his eyes widening. "What? Brock what?"

"I know where he goes…" Brock stammered. "Greece...He goes home."


	19. Chapter 19

"W-Who are you?"

"Abellio."

"No...Who are you really?" Evan had stood on the roof where he and Jonathan had fought, looking over the railing at the crumbling city. The cold wind pulled at his dark, feather-like hair.

"You know, Nyx. You and I...We go back long ways." Brian answered with a smile. "I think we are more alike than you care to admit. Some do say that evil is born out of the darkness of night. Do you remember what you did with that dagger?" Brian asked him. Evan had turned away, the memory so suppressed he could no longer remember. "You cut it out."

"What are you saying?" Evan had demanded. Brian had never answered him.

"If you want to say goodbye, you should go now then. Ares isn't that far away. Fly, Evan." Abellio had laughed as Evan suddenly burst into feather and shadow. The owl took flight, leaving the twisted apple God behind and flew over the streets, seeing Tyler below. A sudden wave of anger crashed over him and he screeched, talons outstretched. It wasn't his anger. He crashed into Tyler's shield and fell to the pavement in a flurry of feathers and shadow.

"Evan!" Brock had cried as Tyler grabbed his arm.

"Evan...Stay. Don't go." Tyler had said. Evan had wanted to stay so badly. He wanted to cut the strings, to drain the evil blood that flowed in his veins. But the strings had pulled and he took off, silently saying his goodbyes.

Now, the memories floated feverishly around Evan as he tossed and turned on the bed, the teddy bear fallen from his arms to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep. Letting a groan, Evan sat up, his head aching.

"I can't fight if you don't let me sleep…" Evan stammered. He was desperate. Exhaustion was pushing him to his limits and he couldn't take it anymore. "You'll sleep when I say. You know that if you sleep, the day will come and all of this will fall apart." The accented voice snapped. "I'm going to die and you will too." Evan cried. Tears fell from his eyes that he quickly wiped away his sleeve. He bent down, grabbing the teddy bear and hugged it tightly. "I'm going to die if you don't let me sleep. And you will come with me if I do." Evan said again.

"Evan?" The voice was faint and made him jump. "Where are you?"

"Nyx?"

"We need to talk!"

"Looks like you won't be sleeping after all." The accented voice laughed. Evan, almost robotically, got to his feet and began to walk towards the door. He dropped the teddy bear and stepped through the door into the dark hallway. "Who's there?" Evan called out, the accent in his voice filled with excitement.

"You know who." Tyler called back. Evan made his way to the lobby, his Shadows following him. They slithered on the walls and floor, even on the ceiling. Their large red eyes glowed in the dark and when they passed a window, their sharp teeth and claws glinted in the dim light. The Night God reached the top of the large staircase that leads down to the lobby, the Gods below staring up at him. "We've come to-"

"I know why you are here. You've come to end me? You want the Evan you know back." He spat.

"You aren't Evan. You're Abellio." Tyler snarled. "I don't know how you did it but we know how to end you." Evan laughed. His gaze landed on Jonathan who was shocked. He wondered if Jonathan had ever seen a real monster before and if he had ever thought that it would him. The thought hurt Evan.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Evan shot back. "You know that I can destroy you and I won't think twice about doing it."

"We're going to make Evan sleep." Daithi suddenly said. Evan felt the monster that clung to his ribs tense.

"You Gods live in a La La Land. A dream world with happy endings! Nothing is as easy as you think it is!" Evan said, the accent full of anger. "Do it!" The accent was gone and Evan had to grip the railing to stop himself from falling. He was so weak. "Do it!" The Gods looked confused. His changing voice scared them. "Weak! You're so fucking useless! I'm better off letting you die and getting someone else. You're so useless to me!" The accented voice snarled. "Go ahead...Do it! There are some things that you just can't kill." It was Jonathan who had looked shocked at the statement as if he now saw the hole in their plan that was threatening to swallow them whole. Evan watched him reach for Tyler who moved out of his way before he could reach him, seeming to signal the Sun God. The thing that had attached itself to Evan's ribs laughed.

Gold and steel swirled around Tyler as his shield manifested on his arm, the others gathering close to him for protection from what was to come. Evan wanted to stop the smile on his face. Shadows drifted up Evan's arm, turning his red and white jacket sleeve, jet black. A sudden burst of light filled the room, rushing up the stairs towards the Night God. Raising his arm, the Shadows, filled with so much darkness, not even their eyes glowed, rushed to meet the light, forcing it back down the stairs towards the Sun God. Sparks flew and showered down on the Gods who could only watch as the day battled the night.

The Night God moved slowly down the stairs, taking all of his strength to force the light back. Daithi struggled, bracing himself as the darkness came closer.

"Fuck…" Evan heard one of the cowering God's whisper as he made his way down the stairs, the darkness swallowing the large room.

"You thought you could defeat me! You thought that because my weak host told you to do it...Because he told you that this would work, you thought you would win!" The monster yelled, his voice filled with laughter. "He's desperate! He's exhausted! He isn't thinking right! Why in the hell would you listen to him? Evan is the last person you should be listening to!" The accented voice yelled, a sudden blast of shadows throwing Daithi back. The Sun God fell to the floor, the light fading quickly. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet! Do you really want to stop me before the show really starts? If it weren't for you and this useless host, I would have altered the very fabric of reality in this universe! Nothing would be as it is!"

A sudden gust of wind threw Evan back, sending him crashing into the wall at the other end of the room. Evan let out a cry of pain as he landed on the floor, his shoulder fractured from the impact of hitting the wall.

"Shut your fucking mouth." Lui yelled. He had helped Daithi to his feet, the light getting stronger as the wind whipped around the room, pinning Evan to the ground. "No one cares. You're done." Evan laughed as he struggled to get to his feet. Shadows swirled through the air, eyes glowing red as they surged towards Lui, their claws ripping into the Wind God. Lui screamed as the Shadows dragged him away from Daithi, the Night God finally able to stand.

A gunshot suddenly echoed painfully in Evan's ears, his shoulder wrenched backwards by the force of the bullet piercing his skin. Looking up, he saw the tears in Tyler's eyes.

"I thought you wanted to give up." The monster smiled as the wound healed, leaving nothing but a hole in his jacket. Out of the corner of his eye, a bright flash of light made him lift his hand again, shadows pushing back the threatening sunlight. "You can't kill me…I'm wearing your friend's face. Everything you do to me, you do to him!"

"Shut up!" Another gunshot crackled through the air. Evan let out another cry of pain as the bullet pierced his chest, blood pooling on his shoulder.

"Tyler...Stop!" Evan cried, tears falling from his eyes as he tried to heal the wound. The monster snarled at him for suddenly taking control. Tyler's eyes widened as he lowered the gun, regret was written across his face. Tyler was suddenly pushed out of the way, the black dagger glimmering in Jonathan's hand. Relief overcame Evan when he saw it and Jonathan moving toward him. The monster, however, created a wall of Shadows around him, not letting Jonathan come any closer. The light continued to threaten to get closer to Evan. "Jonathan…" Evan cried, putting his hand on the wall of his own Shadows that trapped him in. "Don't...He'll...I'll kill you!" Jonathan shook his head and brought the handle of the dagger down on the wall, trying to break through it like he had before. "Jonathan!" The God of Revenge brought it down on the wall again, a crack forming that the monster quickly repaired.

"Fight back, Evan! Fight it!"

"I-I am!"

"Fight harder!" Jonathan screamed, hitting the wall again and again. A crack formed that Jonathan continued to hit, not letting the monster fix it. Evan suddenly hit the wall from his side, his knuckles splitting as he hit it.

"Stop!" The monster screamed as Evan hit the wall again. Evan suddenly threw himself back, hitting the other side of the dome of Shadows. Evan winced, looking up at Jonathan who continued to break through the wall. All it once, it shattered. Like pieces of dark glass that dissolved when they crashed to the floor, the shadows broke apart. Jonathan was suddenly there, the tip of the dagger pressed against Evan's chest. "Do it." The monster snarled. "Let's see who you kill." Jonathan seemed to hesitate, as if remembering the monster's warning. Some things you just can't kill. Evan laughed and threw Jonathan off, sending him sprawling to the red floor and dropped the black dagger. Evan got to his feet, picking up his dagger and smiled at Jonathan. He lunged at the God of Revenge who pulled a golden dagger from his sleeve, blocking Evan's strike.

A sharp kick to Evan's side pushed him back, giving him enough time to get to his feet. Evan dove at him again, the small stars embedded in the metal dancing and twinkling brightly in the sunlight that continued to get closer, battling the Shadows. The dagger cut into Jonathan's shoulder as Evan grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer to slice through his blue hoodie into his flesh. Jonathan grit his teeth and pushed Evan off, the golden dagger slashing against his side. Jonathan grabbed Evan's collar, suddenly slamming him against the lobby wall. Before he could do anything, Evan had kicked him, sending him sprawling once more to the floor.

"Let me show you something." The monster snarled, suddenly pinning Jonathan to the red carpet floor. He gripped Jonathan's throat, a sudden burning pain overwhelming him. Jonathan screamed, clawing at Evan's arms, trying to get him off. "This is how it feels when a star dies…" Evan began to say. He couldn't finish his sentence for Jonathan had suddenly rolled, fighting through the pain to pin Evan down as the light got closer.

"No...This is how you die...How you give back Evan." Jonathan snarled. The light got closer, the shadows now weak and unable to fight. Evan turned his head to look at the blinding light, his eyes wide. He suddenly stretched an arm out, fighting the monster as he reached for the light, welcoming it and the relief it would bring. The light touched his hand which started to dissolve, breaking apart like glass.

"T-Thank you...T-Thank you." Evan looked up at Jonathan with a sad smile. "I'm so sorry this happened…"

"It's okay...It's okay. Don't you worry. It's okay…" Jonathan reassured him as the light began to reach up to his arm. Tyler appeared beyond Jonathan's shoulder, the black dagger now in his hand.

"Do it...Please…" Evan whispered as the light reached his side. Tyler didn't nod, didn't say anything. Evan prayed that he would listen but he couldn't do anything else.

The night couldn't fight the day anymore. Sunlight broke through the darkness, rising into the sky in a burst of colour.

Evan finally fell asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

"What happens when a God dies?" It had been snowing, the flakes falling onto the ice. It was 1947. Tyler had looked up from the ice which he had been concentrating on, not wanting to fall as his skates glided over the smooth surface. Ahead of him, Evan coasted along the ice, deep in thought. Tyler wondered where he had learned to skate so well.

"What?" Tyler managed to catch up to him, snow and ice flying up from under his skates. A gust of wind suddenly blew snow in his face, the cold air biting at his cheeks.

"What happens when a God dies?" Evan wondered, turning to face him with the grace of a figure skater. It always made Tyler laugh at the older God for asking him questions that he should know the answer to. "I've always wondered...What happens to them?"

"We're ideas. The world will run without us. Life will go on. The sun will set and it will rise all the same. We're just here to make it beautiful. If you were gone, we'd never have a beautiful night ever again." Tyler explained. Evan nodded, a small smile on his face.

"You aren't just an idea to me."

The memory melted away, leaving Tyler in the brightening hallway, his hands shaking. He had insisted that they wait just a bit longer before going after Evan. Everything would better once this was over, it had to be, but Tyler needed to clear his head before he went any farther. Something seemed off but he didn't know what. He wandered the halls of the hotel, looking for any sign that would confirm his suspicion but there was none. He was left full of doubt, wondering if they had done the right thing.

"Some things you just can't kill." Tyler whispered. He had heard those words before, in the past. Something dark that had lingered in the shadows had said it but he couldn't put a name to the evil voice. It had been buried in his memories, locked and thrown away into the past where no one, especially him, could reach it. He had made himself forget on purpose. The Night isn't evil. It is what lurks in the darkness that is. There is something cruel and violent there and he couldn't stop it breaking the locks to his memories.

Tyler was snapped out of his thoughts when he tripped, gripping the doorframe of one of the hotel rooms to stop himself from falling to the carpeted floor. He looked around for what he had tripped over, his gaze landing on a teddy bear. He bent down, his hand curling around it's small, soft arm. He picked it up, looking down at its black glass eyes and it's threaded smile. Strangely, it comforted him. Without even thinking of what he was doing, the War God hugged the bear to his chest, pressing his forehead against the top of its soft head.

"It's a simple comfort." A soldier had once said to Tyler in the trenches. "Even a memory...a single thought...your son's stuffed animal...It warms the soul even if just for a moment. We need that heavenly comfort...Because what is war? It's hell on earth." The memory suddenly twisted into fire and blood that oozed down Tyler's arms, anger and evil suddenly filling him. Tyler screamed, tasting blood in his mouth that wasn't his. Horns grew from his head, dripping blood and gore. He continued to scream in horror at this devil that he had become...But he hadn't become it. It had always there.

All at once, the vision disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Tyler alone in the room, a black feather tucked into his suit pocket. He closed his eyes, making himself forget about the memory and slowly moved into the clean hotel room, the only thing that ruined it was the messy bed. The blankets were tossed around as if someone had been in a restless sleep there. He set the bear down on the pillow, his eyes moving up the to the window and the sunlight coming through the thin blinds. He moved around the bed and threw open the curtains, warm light washing over him. He had never been so grateful to see the sun before but he had also never been so nervous about it. There was still one thing left to do and he feared it.

"Tyler?" He turned, seeing Jonathan in the doorway. The black dagger was in his hand. "We should get going."

"He's sleeping...Can't we let him rest?"

"We aren't...We aren't killing Evan." Jonathan sighed.

"He's the host of this fucking thing." Tyler reminded him. "We may as well be killing Evan if this thing hasn't already."

"Tyler...I don't think Abellio is who he said he was...Or is." Jonathan said after a moment. "I think he came from the Underworld...That was his plan all along. To bring hell on earth."

"Stop...It's over, Jonathan. We're putting the world back to normal and this is over. It's over. We can theorise later on but I can't talk about it right now. So please stop talking about it. Abellio is just a fucking asshole and that's all I'm concerned with right now. If he came from Hell, then we'll send him back and that's it." Tyler snapped, pulling the curtains closed. "That's it. It's over."

"War is never over, Ares." Jonathan said darkly. Tyler froze, looking up at him with wide eyes. "It's not over and this thinking is going to fuck you over in the future. You can't put your guard down. Didn't you learn anything from those soldiers?"

"I did learn!" Tyler suddenly yelled, making Jonathan jump. "I just want it to stop for once. I want it to stop...to be over...Just agree with me, Jon! It's over!" Jonathan didn't say anything. Instead, his gaze was on the teddy bear. "It's over!"

"Yes...It's done." Jonathan finally said. "It's done."

"Let's go get Evan." Tyler smiled, patting Jonathan on the shoulder as he walked past him. There was something rigid in Tyler's walk that Jonathan couldn't help but notice. It was the soldier in him.

"I know you said you didn't want to talk about it...but what if we aren't seeing the whole picture, Tyler? What if there is something bigger?" Jonathan asked as he followed Tyler who stopped in the hallway, looking back at him.

"Love is blind….Isn't he?" Tyler asked.

"Yes he is but that wasn't what I was-"

"I said enough, Jonathan." Tyler said and continued down the hall, ignoring Jonathan's protests. He couldn't think about any failure anymore. At least not until this was really over. Evan's life depended on them being successful, in them really destroying whatever was in him, Abellio or not.

"Well…?" Daithi and the other Gods stood at the bottom of the large staircase. From where he stood, Tyler could see the blood on the carpet.

"Well, what?" Tyler said as he made his way slowly down the stairs, Jonathan following him.

"It's not done." Marcel said, leaning against the golden railing.

"Yes, it is!" Tyler cried. "We just...We just have to go make sure he's...he's okay; that he'll come back."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Lui asked.

"Go...It's over. Go home...go wherever. The world will go back to normal...Nothing happened." Tyler explained. "Don't talk about this. Just pretend that it never happened. Nothing is wrong."

"Tell the other gods that...People will talk about this, Tyler." Marcel snapped.

"You won't." The other gods sighed and finally agreed. It would be better if they could erase this from time but Time seemed to have disappeared on them after Athena died. However, ideas could be forgotten, just like they had been so they would forget one more idea. "Craig, please stay. We need your help but everyone else...Go. Enjoy the day." It was Lui and Arlan that left first, pushing open the doors onto a bright Los Angeles, the streets clear and full of cars, the sidewalks lined with humans going about their day as if nothing had happened.

"Reverse sleeping beauty." Marcel laughed, and quickly followed them. None of them said any goodbyes to Tyler and Jonathan but they had a feeling they would see them again.

"Shall we?" Tyler turned, seeing a large Greek double door now at the bottom of the stairs. Its green paint was peeling and ancient. It reminded him of home. Tyler nodded and the Roman God of Opportunity pulled the lock up and pushed open the door.

Bright, Greek sunlight illuminated the small man-made pond in front of them, the warm tropical breeze wrapping around them and invited them in. Fruit trees grew around the pond, their leaves dancing in the warm breeze. They could hear the ocean waves in the distance. It was peaceful. At the other end of the pond was a small pavilion. A painted curtain, dark blue with golden stars, billowed gently at the doorway. Tyler remembered this place now and he realised just how much he had missed it. Large brightly coloured fish swam through the pond, their bright scales catching Tyler's attention as they walked past. They reached the pavilion and Tyler had to stop, shaking his head. He couldn't go in there and do this. Whether it was his guilt or something else, he couldn't do it.

"Jonathan...I can't…"

"You've come this far. We have to." Jonathan said and pulled the starry curtain aside. He pulled Tyler with him as he stepped inside the pavilion. The domed ceiling was painted like the night sky, the stars twinkling in the dim torch light.

"I can't...I can't do it."

"Then don't." Jonathan snapped, narrowing his eyes darkly at the War God. Tyler looked away from him, his gaze instead on the bed in the middle of the single room, and the Night God that slept there. Jonathan approached Evan's bedside, his grip on the dagger tightening. He bent down, whispering a gentle apology in Evan's ear and slowly pushed his shoulder, rolling the sleeping God onto his back.

"Are you sure that this going to work? I mean...Do we really know what is actually processing Evan?" Craig asked. "Is it Abellio or...the devil?" Tyler's vision of blood running down his arms and bits of flesh falling from his horns flashed in his mind.

"I don't...I don't know...But this is the only way." Tyler said.

"I can't handle any more war. It's hell on earth."

"Why did you say that?" Tyler asked, turning to look at Craig. "Why did you say that war is hell on earth?"

"It is...I'm sure that if you ask anyone to imagine hell that isn't like the one that that new God has taught everyone to believe, they would think of war." Craig shrugged. "Why? Are you offended?"

"No…"

"Why would you be? You and Hades are two different people, right?" Craig laughed. Tyler didn't answer. He watched Jonathan raise the dagger above his head and suddenly bring it down on Evan's chest. Blood swelled around the dagger as Evan's eyes flew open, looking at Jonathan with a strange expression, one of betrayal, confusion, fear and pain before he began to go limp, his eyes slowly closing.

"If I leave it...He can't heal, right?" Jonathan asked, not moving his hand from the dagger's handle.

"No...He'll be dead, in a way, until someone takes it out."

"He can't take it out?"

"I don't think so...It'd be a miracle if he did." Tyler sighed. Jonathan hesitated, before slowly letting go of the handle. "But we need him to wake up! That's why we are here! Who knows who might wake up in his place. That's why we need Evan."

"Do we? After everything that happened? After what you said about forgetting this? It's better for him if he stays asleep! All that regret, that pain! Even if it wasn't really him, he still did those things! He still fucked over the world and he has to live with that!" Jonathan whirled around to face Tyler, splatters of Evan's blood on his hands. "You know that he will blame himself."

"He is our friend! You are basically killing him if you leave that dagger in his chest!" Tyler yelled back.

"Stop being so selfish! You fucking dick! All you care about is yourself! You want him back so you can make yourself feel better by making him happy with your shitty fireworks and giving him a shoulder to cry on but you never listened to him!" Jonathan yelled, his bloodied hands curling into fists.

"Shut the fuck up, you fucking liar!"

"I am not the liar here! I'm right and you don't want to admit it! We don't want him awake! You do! You selfish prick! Just let him sleep!" Jonathan stormed past Tyler and Craig, leaving the pavilion. Tyler heard him sob as the curtain fluttered closed. He looked back at Evan for a moment before deciding to follow Jonathan outside. "Open the door, Craig." Jonathan snapped. The shorter God nodded, nervously opening the door they had entered from and found themselves back in the hotel.

"Jonathan, please. I-"

"Fuck off." The God of Revenge continued towards the hotel front door, not looking back as he stepped into the warm Californian sunlight and disappeared from view.

"Thank you, Craig…" Tyler said quietly, sitting down on the steps.

"You did the right thing, Tyler. Wait for this to settle...and maybe he can wake up." Craig shrugged and he too left Tyler. Deciding that he would rather head back to the club than stay in the dark hotel that seemed haunted to him now, Tyler got up and made his way through town. He passed the cafe that he and Athena would visit, seeing a new couple seated by the window where they used to sit. Everything was as it should be. Nothing was wrong but to him everything was wrong. He pulled his hands out of his suit pockets, not noticing the black feather fall to the sidewalk.

"Excuse me, sir! I think you dropped this?" He turned, seeing a young man holding the feather to him. "Is it an owl feather?"

"Y-Yes…" Tyler's heart tightened at the sight of it. He looked back up at the young man who seemed very familiar to him. "Sorry...Do I know you?"

"My name is Bryce McQuaid." He answered with a smile.

"Tyler." Ares said quietly, tucking the owl feather into his pocket. "I'll see you around." He nodded to him and continued on his way. He didn't feel like talking to anymore Gods. They would ask questions that he couldn't answer. He finally reached the club and was immediately pulled into a hug by Brock.

"Is he dead?"

"May as well be…" Tyler fought back tears. "Just...Just leave me be for a bit...I'll have a drink with you in awhile." Tyler promised.

"I'll make your favourite!" Brock called after him with a forced smile. Tyler didn't have to look at him to know he was crying. Tyler collapsed onto the couch, tears falling from his eyes. Before he could stop, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The darkness faded into dim sunlight that reflected on the made made pond. The fish swam through the bright blue water, passing under lily pads. Tyler moved around the pond towards the pavilion, leaving a trail of bloody footprints. He pushed aside the curtain, his horns grazing the top of the doorway. Evan lay on the bed where they had left him, blood pooled on the blankets. The dagger was still deep in his chest. Tyler outstretched a bloody hand, his fingers curling around the handle. He lifted it from Evan's chest and tossed it to the floor. The wound began to heal.

"We haven't even gotten to the best part."

Tyler awoke suddenly to the sound of breaking glass. He sat up, rubbing the sleep and the disturbing dream away from his eyes. He glanced out the window, seeing that the sun had set and once more, it was night. He heard Brock yelling.

"How? Tyler said...Tyler! Tyler get down here! Tyler!" Brock screamed. Tyler got up, hurrying down the stairs. Brock stood at the base, surrounded by broken glasses. Evan stood in the middle of the club, his eyes wide, filled with confusion.

"I'm not dead...Who said I was dead?" Evan cried. Tyler pushed past Brock and pulled Evan into a hug. Evan staggered from the force and they ended up falling to the floor but Tyler didn't let go of him.

"You're okay, right? No other voice in there?" Tyler cried.

"Nothing...Abellio is gone...But...But I did that, Tyler...Oh...God, I did all those things!" Evan suddenly wailed, clinging to Tyler. "I'm so sorry! I killed Athena, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Please! Forgive me, Tyler! I'm so sorry!" Tyler knew he should be thinking that something was wrong but he didn't. He forgave his closest friend, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"It wasn't you. It was that monster, Abellio. He's gone. He won't come back. It's okay." Tyler smiled. "Why don't we go for a drive? Hmm? Let's go for a drive." Tyler pulled Evan to his feet.

"C-Can I have something to eat, though? I'm so hungry." Evan asked, looking at Brock who quickly nodded, pointing to the door that leads to the back room.

"We got some fruit still, I think." Brock stammered. Evan thanked him and headed back there while Tyler went to get the keys for his car. He rarely used it but since they had crashed Evan's, he had no other option. He decided that he wouldn't tell Jonathan, at least for a little while.

Outside, the night air was warm, the stars dancing overhead. Tyler stood by the red sports car, watching the stars as Evan left the club, an apple as red as his jacket in his hand.

"Where do you…" Tyler paused when he saw the apple but pushed his doubts aside. All they had in the backroom was apples, or that was what he told himself. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere." Evan smiled. "We got all night." He took a bite of the apple as Tyler got into the car, unlocking the other side for Evan. He started the engine and turned on the radio. Midnight City by M83 began to play. As Evan got in, he took one last bite from the apple and tossed it to the sidewalk out front the club. He closed the door and smiled at Tyler. "Let's go."

The car sped off down the street, the city of Los Angeles glowing bright and beautiful. On the sidewalk out front the club, a rotten apple oozed black poison.

THE END


End file.
